The start of free agency is less than one month away. The time in which teams can begin negotiating with external free agents starts March 10 at noon. The Steelers have a lot of decisions to make with how they shape their roster, and they have plenty of flexibility to get it done.
According to OverTheCap.com, the Steelers currently have $40.7 million in cap space. That's based on an estimated $272.5 million NFL-imposed salary cap along with $6,831,465 rolled over from the 2024 season, making their total estimated cap number $279.3 million. The NFL will officially set the salary cap figure sometime before the start of free agency.
In the meantime, we can still see just how much cap flexibility the Steelers have. $40.7 million is a great starting point, but there are a few different players that could be cut to make even more room, also known as cap casualties:
• Preston Smith ($13.4 million cap hit, $0 dead cap) -- Far and away the easiest cap casualty this cycle. There's no room for a guy who didn't even get a hat multiple games after he was acquired. The Steelers have T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig at edge rusher. They can easily add a much cheaper fourth option through free agency or the draft.
• Cole Holcomb ($7.64 million cap hit, $1.64 dead cap) -- Holcomb managed to get back on the practice field at the end of the 2024 season, but never sniffed actual playing time after sustaining a horrific knee injury in 2023. With Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson still under contract, and a potential Elandon Roberts return, Holcomb could be very expendable. He's owed a $2 million bonus if he's on the roster by March 14, so if the Steelers cut him, it'll be before that date to save money.
• Cordarrelle Patterson ($3.75 million cap hit, $950K dead cap) -- Patterson's barely even a shade of who he used to be, and he was a non-factor in the kick return game, something that used to be his calling card. And, he made it clear he was irritated by not getting one offensive snap in the wild-card loss. So, good riddance? It's easy to find an RB3 nowadays.
• Larry Ogunjobi ($10.5 million cap hit, $3.5 dead cap) -- I'm a little skeptical on this one, but since he's going into the final year of his contract, I'm not ruling it out. It's no secret the Steelers are prioritizing defensive line in the draft, and it is one of the deepest positions in this class. There will be 41 defensive linemen in Indianapolis for the Combine. With Cam Heyward still playing at an All-Pro level and Keeanu Benton continuing to grow, the Steelers could decide the $7 million in cap space is worth more than keeping Ogunjobi.
Cutting Smith alone would give the Steelers $54.1 million in cap space. Any other cuts or restructures just gives Omar Khan more room to do whatever he wants. They could, in theory, be players at the top of the wide receiver or cornerback market in free agency and still go with a cheaper option at quarterback such as bringing back Justin Fields.
This is a great place for the Steelers to be right now. Well, the best place would include a franchise quarterback. But, with weak free agency and draft classes coming this spring, this could be a time to bolster the rest of the roster while trying to find the quarterback that best fits what the Steelers want to do on offense.
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THE ASYLUM
Chris Halicke
3:14 pm - 02.13.2025DowntownRevisiting flexible salary cap
The start of free agency is less than one month away. The time in which teams can begin negotiating with external free agents starts March 10 at noon. The Steelers have a lot of decisions to make with how they shape their roster, and they have plenty of flexibility to get it done.
According to OverTheCap.com, the Steelers currently have $40.7 million in cap space. That's based on an estimated $272.5 million NFL-imposed salary cap along with $6,831,465 rolled over from the 2024 season, making their total estimated cap number $279.3 million. The NFL will officially set the salary cap figure sometime before the start of free agency.
In the meantime, we can still see just how much cap flexibility the Steelers have. $40.7 million is a great starting point, but there are a few different players that could be cut to make even more room, also known as cap casualties:
• Preston Smith ($13.4 million cap hit, $0 dead cap) -- Far and away the easiest cap casualty this cycle. There's no room for a guy who didn't even get a hat multiple games after he was acquired. The Steelers have T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig at edge rusher. They can easily add a much cheaper fourth option through free agency or the draft.
• Cole Holcomb ($7.64 million cap hit, $1.64 dead cap) -- Holcomb managed to get back on the practice field at the end of the 2024 season, but never sniffed actual playing time after sustaining a horrific knee injury in 2023. With Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson still under contract, and a potential Elandon Roberts return, Holcomb could be very expendable. He's owed a $2 million bonus if he's on the roster by March 14, so if the Steelers cut him, it'll be before that date to save money.
• Cordarrelle Patterson ($3.75 million cap hit, $950K dead cap) -- Patterson's barely even a shade of who he used to be, and he was a non-factor in the kick return game, something that used to be his calling card. And, he made it clear he was irritated by not getting one offensive snap in the wild-card loss. So, good riddance? It's easy to find an RB3 nowadays.
• Larry Ogunjobi ($10.5 million cap hit, $3.5 dead cap) -- I'm a little skeptical on this one, but since he's going into the final year of his contract, I'm not ruling it out. It's no secret the Steelers are prioritizing defensive line in the draft, and it is one of the deepest positions in this class. There will be 41 defensive linemen in Indianapolis for the Combine. With Cam Heyward still playing at an All-Pro level and Keeanu Benton continuing to grow, the Steelers could decide the $7 million in cap space is worth more than keeping Ogunjobi.
Cutting Smith alone would give the Steelers $54.1 million in cap space. Any other cuts or restructures just gives Omar Khan more room to do whatever he wants. They could, in theory, be players at the top of the wide receiver or cornerback market in free agency and still go with a cheaper option at quarterback such as bringing back Justin Fields.
This is a great place for the Steelers to be right now. Well, the best place would include a franchise quarterback. But, with weak free agency and draft classes coming this spring, this could be a time to bolster the rest of the roster while trying to find the quarterback that best fits what the Steelers want to do on offense.
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
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