With the start of the 2025 NFL year roughly three weeks away, it will be quite interesting to see if the Pittsburgh Steelers ultimately move on from DT Larry Ogunjobi before the middle of March. That decision will likely need to be made by the Steelers by March 15 and that’s because Ogunjobi is a due a $3 million roster bonus that day. With that big decision date closing in, it is a good day to look at it more closely.
For starters, Ogunjobi is set to earn $7 million in 2025. That’s his cash total with $3 million of that becoming fully guaranteed on March 15. While Ogunjobi’s total salary cap charge for 2025 is scheduled to be $10,533,334, and his APY is $9,583,333, the correct way to evaluate and value him this offseason should be by using his cash charge, $7 million.
The Steelers shouldn’t be salary cap or cash strapped this offseason so it’s not like $7 million is a huge obstacle to overcome when it comes to whether the Steelers decide to keep or jettison Ogunjobi in the next three weeks. As a means of comparison, Steelers DT Cameron Heyward is scheduled to earn $14.75 million in 2025, which is obviously more than double what Ogunjobi is set to earn.
Now is when it should be pointed out that Ogunjobi played just 495 regular-season defensive snaps in 2024, his fewest logged since his 2014 rookie season. He missed two regular-season games in 2024 due to a groin injury. Additionally, only twice has Ogunjobi played every regular-season game, 2018 and 2023. Based on Ogunjobi’s injury history, it’s probably a good bet to expect him to miss at least one or two games at a minimum in 2025.
Ogunjobi’s overall play dropped off during the 2024 season as well and especially against the run, an area the Steelers seem poised to get much better in heading into the 2025 season. Overall, Pro Football Focus graded Ogunjobi out at 49.4 for the 2024 regular season, the lowest grade for his NFL career. He logged just 189 defensive snaps against the run in 2024 as well. As for Ogunjobi’s 306 regular-season snaps played in 2024 as a pass rusher, they weren’t very productive. PFF credited the defensive tackle with just 14 pressures with two of those being sacks and eight more as quarterback hurries.
While Ogunjobi’s value at $7 million for 2025 based on him maybe playing 15 regular-season games might feel unacceptable, it is worth pointing out that the Steelers don’t have rich defensive line depth chart at the time of this post. Currently, the Steelers have just eight defensive linemen under contract for the 2025 season in the form of Ogunjobi, Heyward, Keeanu Benton, Montravius Adams, DeMarvin Leal, Dean Lowry, Logan Lee, and Jacob Slade. Lee and Slade have both yet to log regular-season snaps in the NFL while Adams, Leal, and Lowry aren’t necessarily players you want to log very many snaps moving forward.
Now, the 2025 NFL Draft is flush with talent when it comes to defensive line prospects and thus, we can probably expect the Steelers to select at least one from that position group at the end of April. Maybe even two from that position group. The 2025 NFL Draft, however, commences long after the Steelers need to make a roster bonus decision on Ogunjobi. Rookies will need some grooming in 2025 as well, so that is also important to keep in mind.
When it comes to defensive linemen who might be available come the start of the 2025 league year, there might be a few players who ultimately draw some sort of interest from the Steelers, especially as possible upgrades over Ogunjobi. That list is sure to grow by a few street free agents in the next three weeks as a few defensive linemen around the league are likely to be cut before the start of the 2025 league year.
Free agency technically starts on March 12 and that obviously is three days prior to the Steelers needing to decide on Ogunjobi’s roster bonus. Because of that date differential, it’s conceivable that the Steelers sign a free agent defensive lineman during the first few days of the new league year and then turn around and terminate Ogunjobi’s contract prior to paying his roster bonus on March 15. It’s a plausible scenario, especially if Ogunjobi is not jetsoned prior to March 12.
Personally, I think the Steelers should part ways with Ogunjobi before March 15 as I just don’t think he’s worth $7 million in cash for the 2025 season. Should, however, the Steelers decide to retain Ogunjobi past March 15, it will likely be because they think they can get one more decent partial season out of him as they simultaneously develop a rookie or two.
I do expect the Steelers to address the defensive line with a veteran free agent in the next three weeks. Assuming they go that route well ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft getting underway, it would make it much easier for them to jettison Ogunjobi before paying him the roster bonus he is due.
