The Pittsburgh Steelers are signing strong safety DeShon Elliott to a two-year contract extension, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The deal is worth $12.5 million that includes $9.21 million in guarantees.
The PPG’s Gerry Dulac reports slightly different numbers, a three-year extension worth $15.5 million.
Complete contract details should be known later this week.
Elliott, 28, signed a two-year, $6 million deal ahead of the 2024 season and was slated to become a free agent after the 2025 season. His average year value more than doubles from $3 million to over $6 million per season. Now, Pittsburgh has him locked up long-term as a key piece of the team’s secondary. He will continue to start opposite FS Minkah Fitzpatrick.
With Pittsburgh, DeShon Elliott enjoyed his best year of his career. Appearing in 15 games with 14 starts, he recorded 108 tackles with two forced fumbles, six pass breakups, and one interception. He was a steady and sure tackler with one of the lowest missed tackle rates in the NFL while providing big hits expected and needed from a Steelers’ strong safety. Across the entire season, our Josh Carney charted Elliott with just one missed tackle, a 0.8-percent rate.
Elliott was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He bounced around teams earlier in his career, spending 2o22 with the Detroit Lions and 2023 with the Miami Dolphins. He’s appeared in 72 career games with 64 starts, recording 395 tackles, five forced fumbles, four interceptions, and 3.5 sacks over that span.
Last month, Elliott said he considered Pittsburgh his true home. Now, he’s found that home in Pittsburgh and the Steelers have done well to lock him up to a long-term deal that remains an economical average yearly value.
Other Steelers who could receive extensions or reworked contracts later this offseason include WR Calvin Austin III and K Chis Boswell. Austin is more of a longshot but Pittsburgh could see a buy-low opportunity ahead of the final year of his rookie deal. Boswell has two seasons left on his contract but could have money pushed forward into his 2025 salary. Of course, EDGE T.J. Watt is expected to land a monster contract extension that could again make him the NFL’s highest-paid pass rusher.
