With the NFL offseason getting into gear and the Pittsburgh Steelers already active in making roster moves, NFL.com is looking at potential cut candidates across the league. It named both Pittsburgh Steelers CB Patrick Peterson and WR Allen Robinson II potential cut candidates.
Robinson is much more likely than Peterson as the Steelers would free up $10 million if they released him this offseason. While he was a stable veteran presence in the wide receiver room, Robinson caught just 34 balls for 280 yards last season, and that sort of production is not worth the $11.9 million cap number he carries. The Steelers could potentially look to bring Robinson back for less money once he’s cut, but there’s no chance he remains on the team with his current salary and cap hit. NFL.com’s Matt Okada called it a “near-guarantee” that Robinson gets released.
“Speaking of aging Steelers vets with declining production, Robinson hasn’t been effective since the 2020 season in Chicago and carries an $11.9 million cap hit in 2024, making him a near-guarantee for release this offseason,” Okada wrote.
Peterson would save $6,850,000 against the cap if he’s released, but he did rebound after a rough start to become productive both at cornerback and at safety in 2023. But that money could be spent elsewhere, and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see Pittsburgh move on. Peterson talked about the possibility of getting released on his podcast last week, but the Steelers are also still thin at cornerback.
Sure, nearly $7 million in cap savings is nice, but the Steelers have Levi Wallace, James Pierre and Chandon Sullivan all set to become free agents. The question of who would line up opposite to Joey Porter Jr. can’t be answered yet, and it might be someone not in the organization, but cutting Peterson almost assures the Steelers need to draft a cornerback early in the draft and likely address the position through free agency.
The Peterson decision is one of the most interesting to me this offseason just because the state of Pittsburgh’s cornerback room isn’t pretty with Peterson and won’t be pretty without him. It doesn’t feel like a sure thing, but it is a cut that could be made later in the offseason as the Steelers assesses the state of free-agent corners and whether they think they might be able to get a cornerback they like early in the draft.
Either way, with Pittsburgh already making three cuts, there aren’t many guaranteed cuts coming with the exception of Robinson. It’ll be very telling of the Steelers’ offseason plans depending on what they do with players like Peterson and C Mason Cole.
