The Pittsburgh Steelers released four players last month who at one point or another earned starting jobs on the team. The moves likely drew partial motivation from gaining compliance with the salary cap, but all four underperformed on the field. Even though the Steelers are already cap compliant, many wonder if there are more cuts they want to make.
General manager Omar Khan declined to rule that out when he spoke to reporters yesterday at the NFL Scouting Combine. “It’s still a few weeks until March”, he said, “so we’ll see. We’ll see how things go with some of the potential free agents at that point”.
He fielded a question about there being any further potential salary cap cuts, to be clear here. From the podium, he also added that the Steelers really begin those conversations around March 11. That is when the “legal tampering” window opens, and they gain permission to speak with free agents. In other words, based on what they hear from other players, they may decide to move on from other players.
There are two principal candidates for release everybody focuses on. The Steelers added WR Allen Robinson II a year ago via trade and they owe him $10 million for 2024. CB Patrick Peterson signed as a free agent last year and is set to earn close to $7 million, including a $3 million roster bonus due shortly after the beginning of the new league year.
The Steelers do not owe Robinson any bonus money—he agreed last year to forego a $5 million 2024 roster bonus—so they don’t need to make an immediate decision on him. Peterson is a different matter because by March 16, they owe him $3 million if rostered.
Robinson is an average third receiver at best, and I can’t imagine a scenario in which the Steelers pay him $10 million to remain on the roster in his current role in 2024. Many suspect that they are working on renegotiating his deal to reduce his salary. If they can’t work out an arrangement, they probably still release him, even if Khan said some nice things about the 10-year veteran.
As for Peterson, his value hinges on how the Steelers view him. Is he their ultimate utility man without one true position? Do they believe he can play outside at cornerback on an extended basis. Are they considering him as a potential starting safety or nickel?
If they see him as a player they intend to have on the field for 700-plus snaps, then his contract is not unreasonable. You always want to pay less if you can, but sometimes you need to honor the deals you offered. Increasingly, I suspect that is the case on this one.
Still, even Peterson knows it’s a question. He raised it himself on his All Things Covered podcast, basically putting the ball in the Steelers’ court. He expressed very clearly that he wants to finish out the last year of his contract and play a lot. Do the Steelers want him under contract playing a lot? What are they willing to pay for Robinson?
