The Pittsburgh Steelers have arguably their most boring free agency class in recent memory, which in a way is exciting. There’s no fear of losing very much, and retaining desired commodities likely won’t be very expensive, the franchise tag a mere afterthought.
I figured today is a good day to point that out because the window for teams to franchise tag players opens today. Spoiler alert: the Steelers will not be tagging anybody in case you thought otherwise. Surely you didn’t, but let’s be thorough here.
Coincidentally, we have also completed our survey of the Steelers’ free agents today. There are few significant names, and QB Mason Rudolph is by far the most notable. S Miles Killebrew, NT Montravius Adams, CB Levi Wallace, OLB Markus Golden, and ILB Kwon Alexander all hold some degree of interest as well.
But certainly none of them merit the use of the franchise tag. Each tag amount per position is the average of the top five salaries, respectively. The Steelers don’t have a candidate worth anywhere near that amount.
While Rudolph likely ends up the richest among the Steelers’ free agents, he is a far cry from the franchise tag. And the quarterback franchise tag estimate is in the vicinity of $36 million. Surely not even Rudolph’s most ardent fans agree he merits that kind of investment.
There is no franchise tag for non-specialist special teamers, so Killebrew doesn’t apply here, either. Even the specialist franchise tag is quite hefty because they are all grouped into one. That tips the scales north of $5.5 million as well. Steelers K Chris Boswell is in the second year of a four-year, $20 million extension.
There’s really nobody else to even discuss here, so let’s talk about the Steelers’ history of using the franchise tag. Pittsburgh has not used the tag since placing it on OLB Bud Dupree in 2020. He had a productive final season in Pittsburgh before tearing his ACL, then cashed out in free agency.
They used the franchise tag twice on RB Le’Veon Bell in 2017 and 2018. He never signed the tag—and never showed up—in 2018, so they didn’t have to pay it. prior to Bell, they used the transition tag on OLB Jason Worilds in 2014.
The last time the Steelers used the franchise tag and signed a player to a long-term contract was with OLB LaMarr Woodley in 2011. One can debate the degree to which that was successful. They also tagged K Jeff Reed in 2010—then cut him in-season. OT Max Starks received the tag in consecutive years in 2008 and 2009 and eventually signed a four-year deal.
Last season, only six teams used the franchise tag across the league. The Baltimore Ravens were the most notable, using it on QB Lamar Jackson, which ultimately turned into a long-term contract. Some of this year’s biggest options include Bengals WR Tee Higgins, Jaguars OLB Josh Allen, and Chiefs CB L’Jarius Sneed.
