According to James Daniels himself, the Pittsburgh Steelers, entering the 2024 season, did not plan to pursue re-signing him. At least, that was the implication, as they had no intention of extending his contract. Their prized free agent in 2022, he played out most of his three years here and presumably priced himself out. Yet that “almost” is the key to plans potentially changing, as Brooke Pryor of ESPN suggests. At least, theoretically, that is.
In a recent article examining the pending free agents the Steelers should keep or not, she had the following to say about James Daniels:
Some players are only worth bringing back if the price is right. James Daniels, for example, is someone the Steelers should absolutely take a swing at re-signing, but he could price himself out of Pittsburgh. The right guard was one of the Steelers’ best offensive linemen when he went down with a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 4. Rookie Mason McCormick played well for part of the season once inserted into the lineup, but he struggled against better defensive fronts late in the year. Daniels’ injury could keep the market from heating up and make him easier to re-sign in Pittsburgh. If Daniels is unwilling to return – or too expensive – the Steelers could re-sign C/G Nate Herbig or C Ryan McCollum for interior depth.
A former second-round pick, Daniels has played well for the Steelers overall. The $26.5 million contract they signed him to was rather atypical for them, reflecting how they viewed him. Heading into the final year of his contract, though, they seemed to feel he would have an overly robust market.
That or the Steelers believed it was time to prepare for the future. James Daniels isn’t exactly old. He is still only 28—two years younger than Isaac Seumalo when they signed him. But Mason McCormick, were he to pan out, would certainly be the more economical route.
After all, the Steelers hope they will have to invest a lot of money into the offensive line within the next several years. If they have to find ways to pay Broderick Jones, Troy Fautanu, and Zach Frazier, that would be a fantastic problem to have. And if that meant a cheaper guard than James Daniels, that’s what it would take.
But now, with Daniels coming off a major injury, there is a chance that it will affect his market value, potentially considerably. For starters, he would have to pass medical tests, which other teams tend to take more seriously than the Steelers. When other teams rescind a contract offer, the Steelers end up signing that guy.
Even with the injury, though, Daniels may be the biggest name under 30 at guard set to hit free agency. And they seem to like Mason McCormick well enough. Yet, at the same time, Seumalo isn’t getting any younger. So the question is, at what price point would the Steelers revisit their thinking about Daniels?
