Though the Pittsburgh Steelers are currently $17.5 million over the salary cap, plenty of media outlets are trying to spend the Steelers’ money in an effort to upgrade their roster.
While the Steelers have ways to get well under the cap, there are still a number of moves needed to be made to do that. For Pro Football Focus’ Brad Spielberger, the cap doesn’t come into play right now when it comes to trying to pair players with teams in free agency exercises.
Therefore, it’s not much of a surprise that Spielberger went a little outlandish in his landing spots piece for PFF Wednesday morning.
In that piece, Spielberger had the Steelers as a landing spot for quarterback Kirk Cousins and wide receiver Michael Thomas. Yes, you read that right.
Regarding Cousins, Pro Football Focus has the Minnesota Vikings quarterback as the No. 2 free agent available on the market. Along with the Steelers, Spielberger lists the Atlanta Falcons and Las Vegas Raiders as potential landing spots for Cousins, who will be 36 years old and coming off an Achilles injury suffered in the 2023 season.
“Pittsburgh has said it’ll bring in competition for Kenny Pickett heading into 2024, but this wouldn’t be competition, it would be the starting job, so perhaps Cousins is too big a fish,” Spielberger writes.
If the Steelers were to pursue Cousins in free agency (they won’t be), it would be for the starting job, which would go against everything that head coach Mike Tomlin and team president and owner Art Rooney II already said this offseason. Plus, Cousins is projected to land a two-year, $60 million deal in free agency with $37.5 million guaranteed, a deal the Steelers simply aren’t handing out.
Cousins was never the most mobile quarterback when he was healthy, though he has been a prolific passer throughout his career. He’d fit in new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s scheme featuring a lot of play-action passing and utilizing the tight ends, but that’s where the fit would end.
In his career, Cousins has thrown for just under 40,000 yards with 270 touchdowns and just 110 interceptions on the way to five Pro Bowl nods. However, he’s just 76-67-2 in his career and is just 1-3 in the playoffs.
He’s a great quarterback, no doubt, but at 36 years old, coming off of an Achilles injury, and with an expected hefty price tag, Cousins might not be an answer for the Steelers. Chances are they run it back with Mason Rudolph and select a quarterback in the middle rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft to provide competition for Pickett.
Along with Cousins, Spielberger highlighted New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas as a potential fit via free agency.
“Pittsburgh brought Allen Robinson aboard to serve as the big slot possession receiver in 2023, and while his lack of production was not entirely his own doing, perhaps the Steelers take another swing with Thomas coming in as the No. 3 alongside Diontae Johnson and George Pickens,” Spielberger write. “Moving Johnson and Pickens into the slot more to help create more separation on out-breakers like corner routes, an area Pickens excelled in 2023, adds more versatility to the whole unit.”
The Steelers weren’t the only landing spot for Thomas. So, too, were the Denver Broncos and Thomas’ former head coach in Sean Payton. Pittsburgh just makes zero sense for Thomas, especially with the Steelers hiring offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who doesn’t utilize three-receiver sets all that much.
Thomas is a poor blocker, too, grading out at a55.25 overall from PFF as a blocker in his career. He’s primarily an X receiver, too, so there’s not a clear fit for Thomas. He’s played just 751 career snaps in the slot, so bringing in an aging veteran receiver who doesn’t have a ton of experience or success in the slot isn’t wise. However, Thomas is projected to land just a one-year, $8 million deal in free agency from PFF, with just $6.5 million guaranteed, making him somewhat affordable.
The Steelers will focus more on two- and three-tight end sets under Smith and won’t exactly have a need for a slot receiver. Nor will they have a need for another 30-plus-year-old receiver whose best seasons are well behind him.
