Pittsburgh Steelers G James Daniels claims that the team does not intend to extend his contract. Entering the final year of his deal, he told Mark Kaboly of The Athletic that he expects to play it out. This does not come as a great shock, given the clues throughout the offseason. Nevertheless, it is another starter they will likely have to replace in the near future.
Signed as a promising young 24-year-old following a four-year starting career with the Chicago Bears, Daniels was a priority signing. He will earn $8,250,000 this season to close out the three-year, $26,500,000 contract he signed in 2022.
Daniels is a former second-round draft pick out of Iowa. He started 48 of 54 games for the Bears, including at both center and guard, before hitting free agency. The Steelers targeted him as the start of their offensive line rebuild, signing Daniels along with C Mason Cole.
The Steelers already moved on from Cole this offseason, and they are prepared to do so with Daniels next year, it sounds like. They have already begun the groundwork, stocking up on offensive linemen in the 2024 draft. In addition to T Troy Fautanu and C Zach Frazier in the first two rounds, they added Mason McCormick. The fourth-round draft pick is a guard with center capabilities.
Steelers general manager Omar Khan specifically referenced James Daniels’ contract status when explaining their reasoning behind drafting McCormick. More recently, we also learned that the Steelers moved utility offensive lineman Spencer Anderson to guard.
Anderson, a 2023 seventh-round draft pick, made the 53-man roster a year ago because of his versatility. Capable of playing all five offensive line positions, the shift to have him focus on one is a significant indicator. That highly suggests that they have plans for him as a starting candidate in the near future.
That is more bad news for James Daniels, at least in terms of signing a contract extension. The reality is he will be just fine. He should be set to have the best season of his career in 2024 and then hit free agency again as a 27-year-old. If he plays this right, he could earn himself quite a substantial windfall from a team other than the Steelers.
Of course, just because the Steelers don’t intend to sign Daniels to an extension before the season starts doesn’t mean they can’t decide to sign him to a new contract after the season ends. They may want to evaluate his fit in Arthur Smith’s offense and to see if he shows more consistency.
On top of that, playing the year out also gives the Steelers the chance to see Daniels’ potential replacements. Both McCormick and Anderson have a tremendous opportunity at their feet. Pittsburgh is, quite frankly, hoping they wouldn’t be able to afford Daniels, anyway. They hope to have another big quarterback contract on the books by 2025. And they have to plan for a future that includes big deals for Fautanu, Frazier, and Broderick Jones.
