According to Dave Bryan’s latest salary update, the Pittsburgh Steelers are a little over $16 million under the cap, but the team likely won’t be spending up to the cap this season. Despite the fact the Steelers usually keep some cap space available for potential in-season moves, the Steelers have a number of potential extensions due up after the 2025 season, and Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette thinks the Steelers would be wise to roll over some cap space to account for those extensions, especially with the uncertainty of the team’s quarterback play in 2024 and potentially a need to pay Russell Wilson and/or Justin Fields.
“I think this could make sense for the Steelers, because again, just very difficult to tell what they’re going to be in 2024 because of the quarterback position. You don’t really know what you’re going to get from Russell Wilson. You can look at the stat lines and the box scores from Denver and talk yourself into him being really good for this team, helping them win a playoff game or two,” Batko said on The North Shore Drive podcast.
He said that if Wilson plays well, the Steelers could want to keep him and will need to save cap space to give him an extension.
“Maybe Russell Wilson gives you enough that you feel like you can build on, and you’ll want him for his age 36 to 37 seasons,” Batko said.
If the Steelers like what they see out of Wilson or Justin Fields, they’re going to need money to extend either quarterback. A Fields extension could happen ahead of the 2024 season, but that doesn’t necessarily ensure he’ll be the team’s starter if Wilson plays well and becomes their QB1. There’s also the possibility that neither Fields or Wilson becomes a long-term answer, one that Batko outlined.
“The third possibility which is a very, very real one is that neither one of these guys proves to be your long-term quarterback or even your 2025 starting quarterback, so then what do you do? Do you go back to the table in the draft and try to right your wrongs from the Kenny Pickett pick a couple of years ago, maybe with a higher selection, maybe with a better quarterback draft class at your disposal, or do you have to go to the open market…” Batko said.
Going to the open market to spend on a quarterback likely isn’t something that the Steelers will want to do. While signing someone who might be proven is a safer option than drafting a rookie, it’s also much more expensive and would be a disappointing outcome after signing Wilson and trading for Fields this offseason. Of course, if Wilson plays well, an extension won’t come cheap for him, but it would mean that he played well enough to likely move the needle forward for the Steelers, who are still looking for their first playoff win since 2016.
But given the wide range of potential outcomes at the quarterback position, it does make some level of sense for the Steelers to keep their future cap space open, especially when considering that OLB T.J. Watt will be due for an extension next offseason, as well. It’s something that GM Omar Khan is likely planning for, and the quarterback play in 2024 will be important to determining how the roster looks in 2025.
