The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offseason is obviously well underway as of several weeks ago and between now and the start of the 2025 league year in March the team will need to make several decisions regarding its players scheduled to become free agents. In this post, we’ll look at the two Steelers players currently scheduled to become exclusive rights free agents at the start of the new league year.
Exclusive rights free agent (ERFA): Any player with fewer than three accrued seasons and an expired contract. If his original team offers him a one-year contract at the league minimum (based on his credited seasons), the player cannot negotiate with other teams.
C/G Ryan McCollum – Thanks mainly to an injury sustained by C/G Nate Herbig last summer, McCollum found himself on the Steelers’ Week 1 53-man roster as the primary backup center behind then-rookie Zach Frazier. Ryan McCollum went on to dress for every game in 2024 for the Steelers, including their lone playoff contest.
Ryan McCollum logged 153 total offensive snaps in 2024 for the Steelers with 66 more on special teams. He also started two games while Frazier was sidelined with an ankle injury. McCollum also logged one offensive snap as an in-line tight end in 2024.
While he does have position flexibility to some degree, McCollum did not see any action at either guard position during the 2024 season. As for McCollum’s special teams contributions in 2024, they came as part of the extra point and field goal units.
There is no reason to think that McCollum won’t be tendered a one-year exclusive rights contract for the minimum ahead of the start of the new league year. That amount, assuming it happens, should be $1.03 million. If McCollum is indeed exclusive rights tendered, he will battle this summer to be the team’s backup center behind Frazier once again.
OLB Jeremiah Moon – The Steelers claimed Moon off waivers from the Baltimore Ravens after the team’s 2023 regular season ended, and they proceeded to exclusive rights tender him for the minimum last spring.
An undisclosed injury late last summer resulted in Moon being placed on the Steelers’ Reserve/Injured list prior to Week 1 of the 2024 regular season as a designated-to-return player. Ultimately, Moon had his 21-day practice opened in early October and the Steelers activated the outside linebacker to their 53-man roster on Oct. 5.
For the 2024 season, and that includes the team’s one playoff game, Moon logged 117 defensive snaps to go along with 240 more on special teams. He registered nine total tackles in 2024 with seven of those coming on special teams as part of him being a core player in that phase of the game. Moon was credited with one start in 2024 and that came in Week 6 when outside linebackers Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig were both inactive due to injuries.
Just like McCollum, there is no reason to think that Moon won’t be tendered a one-year exclusive rights contract for the minimum ahead of the start of the new league year. That amount, assuming it happens, should be $1.03 million, just like with McCollum. If Moon is exclusive rights tendered, he will battle this summer to make the 53-man roster as a depth piece on the outside linebacker depth along in addition to possibly being a core special teams player again.
