Although he can’t officially sign until Wednesday, QB Russell Wilson made it clear he intends to join the Pittsburgh Steelers. In doing so, perhaps he increases the odds of his former Denver Broncos teammate, free agent C Lloyd Cushenberry III, joining him in Pittsburgh.
Many regard Cushenberry as the top free agent center currently on the market, or at least among the top tier. A 2020 third-round pick, he is a 57-game starter and snapped to Wilson the past two seasons. He is coming off his best season in 2023 and projections estimate he’ll make around eight figures per year.
Daniel Salib of Cap & Trade projects Cushenberry will earn a three-year, $27 million contract, but that’s on the low end. You’ll readily find estimates 25 percent higher or more, certainly hitting $10 million per season. Is center the position the Steelers are looking to hit big in free agency?
Perhaps their decision to release starting C Mason Cole signaled those intentions. For better or worse, they retain their four other starters along the offensive line. Still, there are reasons to believe Cushenberry is not their target.
For starters, the Steelers are only making a one-year commitment to Wilson on a cheap contract. You’re not going to build the near future of your entire team over one season, not knowing where it goes. They’ll likely have to throw at least $30 million Cushenberry’s way to bring him in.
Last week, general manager Omar Khan said the Steelers owe it to themselves to explore every avenue to find “the next great Steelers center”. They have an unparalleled lineage at the position from Ray Mansfield to Maurkice Pouncey, but they’re not meeting those standards.
Many see Pittsburgh drafting Oregon C Jackson Powers-Johnson in the first round next month if he is available. Signing a big-ticket center like Cushenberry in free agency makes that dramatically less likely, especially with established starting guards.
The Steelers may have big plans for this round of free agency, however. They’ve released half a dozen starters from recent years, most recently CB Patrick Peterson and WR Allen Robinson II. In doing so, they’ve opened up a decent amount of salary cap space.
Yet they may prefer to target a starting cornerback or inside linebacker, or even a right tackle, rather than center. There are cheaper center options too, such as Michael Dieter, or even a slightly bigger name like Aaron Brewer. Signing a veteran on a mid-priced deal keeps the first-round option more obviously in play, one assumes.
But this is a new regime. This is just Omar Khan’s second full offseason as general manager, and both he and assistant Andy Weidl place a premium on building the offensive line. The Steelers signing Wilson is their way of going all in for 2024. They believe they have a Super Bowl-worthy roster this year.
So you build the 2024 roster to win the Super Bowl in 2024. And they probably don’t have another center available to them this offseason better than Cushenberry. If Wilson wins them a Super Bowl this year, he’ll have a massive market next year. And if he isn’t a Super Bowl-winning quarterback, you don’t build a team solely around him. Not in his mid-30s.
