Steelers Free Agent Analysis: Damontae Kazee
Position: Safety
Experience: 8 Years (3 with Steelers)
Free Agent Status: Unrestricted
2024 Salary Cap Hit: $3,875,000
2024 Season Breakdown:
Damontae Kazee just completed his third season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and perhaps his last. He played just 239 snaps in 2024, 30 percent, which is by far the least he has played as a starter. After being viewed as a co-starter in 2023, he transitioned into purely a backup role last season.
Long before joining the Steelers, Kazee grabbed the national spotlight with seven interceptions as a second-year starter in 2018. That reputation put him in good stead, and he certainly views himself as a ballhawk.
To his credit, Kazee did intercept two passes in each of his first two seasons with the Steelers. Even with reduced playing time last year, he still managed to pick off one pass. But he hasn’t had more than four passes defensed in a season since 2018, seven total in three years here.
When the Steelers signed DeShon Elliott last year and decisively made him starter over Damontae Kazee, that changed the dynamic. A year earlier, he split time with Keanu Neal at the strong safety position next to Minkah Fitzpatrick. While he had a sub-package role, he only played more than 20 snaps in a game twice all season. And that was when the Steelers were dealing with injuries.
Free Agency Outlook:
After a one-year contract, Damontae Kazee re-signed with the Steelers in 2023 on a two-year, $6 million deal. With that contract now complete, his role within the team needs to be re-evaluated. Obviously, the Steelers would no longer view him as a potential starter at this point.
That doesn’t mean Kazee can’t provide the Steelers depth, both at safety and in the slot. He could serve as a sixth defensive back, but they may want to have other options. Ryan Watts is a player they potentially viewed in that role, but he suffered a major injury.
Set to turn 32 in June, Kazee isn’t likely to see much of a market. Would the Steelers offer him more than a Veteran Salary Benefit contract to stay? If he is not willing to accept that, then he may have to wait until free agency starts, the Steelers evaluating their veteran alternatives. There is a pretty robust free agency class at the position, making it harder to justify sticking with the usual.
The Steelers have a long list of free agents this year, but not absolutely can’t-lose names. While it includes significant players like Najee Harris and Dan Moore Jr., they are not the team’s priority. The biggest question is the quarterback position, working to choose between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. There are some choice role players, but they wouldn’t fall apart if they lost the entire lot—minus a quarterback.
