Will the Steelers have an extension conversation with James Daniels?
When he hits unrestricted free agency—if he hits free agency—Steelers G James Daniels will be 27 years old. He’ll have played seven NFL seasons by then with up to 97 starts if he stays healthy all season. And yet it almost sounds as though the Steelers have no plans to hang onto him.
Signed as a veteran free agent in 2022, Daniels has started 32 games over the past two seasons. He missed two games due to injury in 2023, logging 2,105 total snaps as a member of the Steelers. Signed to a three-year, $26.5 million contract, he has performed variably during that time.
Following the 2024 NFL Draft, general manager Omar Khan seemed to go perhaps slightly out of his way to mention Daniels’ pending free agent status in explaining the reasoning behind the selection of Mason McCormick in the fourth round. The Steelers had already drafted two offensive linemen in the first two rounds, so another was a surprise.
But it makes a lot more sense if the Steelers don’t believe re-signing Daniels is in the cards. That doesn’t mean that they don’t want to or that they won’t try, or even that they won’t succeed. But obviously, they liked McCormick’s prospects enough to view him as a potential future starter. And they see James Daniels’ right guard spot as a potential future hole in the starting lineup.
While we know that Daniels leaving the Steelers in free agency is a possibility, we don’t know how much a party the Steelers are to that. Do they believe Daniels doesn’t entirely fit with what they want to do on offense? Perhaps they feel he’ll be too expensive for them. After all, as I mentioned, he’ll still be 27 years old, which is quite young. Isaac Seumalo was 29 when the Steelers signed him in 2023.
The Steelers’ 2023 season has been put out of its misery, ending as so many have before in recent years: a disappointing, blowout playoff loss. The only change-up lately is when they miss the playoffs altogether. But with the Buffalo Bills stamping them out in the Wildcard Round, they have another long offseason ahead.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Does Russell Wilson make them a Super Bowl-caliber team, or are they wasting a year? Will he play just one season in Pittsburgh before moving on, or the Steelers moving on from him? How will the team address the depth chart?
The Steelers are past free agency and the draft and their roster for the 2024 season is coming into focus. They made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
