Don’t count on Levi Wallace being a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024. During an appearance on Good Morning Football this morning, the Steelers cornerback, who is a pending free agent, said he’s excited for “new opportunities.”
“Not the first time of me doing this, so it’s always exciting. New opportunities, new team, and so I look forward to the process and going somewhere and being a big part of that defense as well,” Wallace said on the NFL Network show this morning.
It’s not much of a surprise given that Wallace struggled early in 2023 and ended up with a reduced role after the emergence of Joey Porter Jr. last season. Wallace would likely only return to Pittsburgh is he was willing to sign a veteran benefit contract, and it sure sounds as if he’s looking to head elsewhere, potentially for more money.
Cornerback remains a major need for the Steelers, but the team will likely look for an upgrade over Wallace, either via free agency or the draft. He was solid in his first season with Pittsburgh in 2022, but his struggles in 2023 coupled with his GMFB comments make it now very unlikely that he returns to the Steelers next season.
He began his career in Buffalo, spending the first four NFL seasons with the Bills after signing with them as an undrafted free agent. Like QB Mitch Trubisky, Wallace could circle back to Buffalo or look elsewhere to find his third NFL team. Last season, Wallace had two interceptions, which both came in Week 3, and 11 passes defensed. He’s been a good, steady corner in the past, so there will likely be some interest in him around the league. But it doesn’t seem like there’s much from Pittsburgh and it’s probably in the best interests of both player and team to move on.
How Pittsburgh goes about addressing the cornerback room will be one of the team’s biggest offseason questions, as there are viable options in both free agency and the draft. But with other needs, including inside linebacker, defensive line, offensive tackle and center, the Steelers will have to decide where they want to allocate their resources in free agency or if they feel content waiting until the draft. We’ll know early on in free agency if it’s a position they’re targeting or if they want to wait to take a member of the top-heavy cornerback class.
