Pittsburgh Steelers Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

Steelers Aiming For T.J. Watt Extension

March 26th, 2021 at 9:28am CST by Zachary Links

No surprise here, but Steelers owner Art Rooney says he wants to keep T.J. Watt for the long haul (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Brooke Pryor). As it stands, the outside linebacker is scheduled to reach free agency after the 2021 season.

“We’re certainly going to try,” Rooney said. “We certainly look at T.J. as a key player in the future. I can assure you we’ll do everything we can to keep T.J. on our roster beyond this year. That’s the goal.”

The Steelers exercised Watt’s fifth-year option to give him a $10.089MM salary in 2021. Historically, the Steelers have made it a point to extend key players when they’re a year away from free agency (and, by the same token, they’ve done their best to avoid those talks when stars are two years out). The Steelers could get ahead of the game by locking up the Pro Bowler this summer.

Watt, 27 in October, is coming off of his second straight All-Pro season and third consecutive Pro Bowl nod. Last year, he led the league with 15 sacks to bring his career tally to 49.5. A new deal won’t come cheap, but he’s the type of player the Steelers can’t afford to lose. Assuming the 2022 salary cap bounces back towards its usual max, Rooney should be able to get a deal done.

Steelers Release Steven Nelson

March 23rd, 2021 at 1:10pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Apparently there wasn’t much trade interest in Steven Nelson. The Steelers have released the veteran cornerback, the team announced on Tuesday.

We heard last Friday that Pittsburgh had given Nelson permission to seek a trade, but nothing materialized. The move came less than an hour after Nelson tweeted his displeasure with the process, asking the team not to hold him “hostage.” Nelson was due a reasonable base salary of $8.25MM, but was set to count for $14.4MM against the Steelers’ cap. A third-round pick of the Chiefs in 2015, he spent his first four years in Kansas City.

His work there landed him a three-year, $25.5MM deal from the Steelers in March of 2019. He started 30 games for Pittsburgh over the last two seasons, racking up 17 passes defended and three interceptions, and received strong marks from Pro Football Focus. Over the last two years, PFF has him graded as the NFL’s 11th-best cornerback.

Nelson just turned 28 in January, and should have plenty of suitors on the open market. The Steelers have now cut Nelson, let Mike Hilton walk in free agency, and have Joe Haden turning 32 next month. They’ve got a lot of planning to do for their secondary of the future.

Steelers To Sign OL Joe Haeg

March 20th, 2021 at 2:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Steelers are making a second Saturday-afternoon signing. They agreed to terms with veteran offensive lineman Joe Haeg, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.

Haeg will come over from Tampa, where he worked as a swing backup and spot starter for the Super Bowl champion Buccaneers. However, most of Haeg’s NFL experience came in Indianapolis (though his most notable NFL play came when he dropped a Tom Brady pass in the end zone last month). The Colts drafted Haeg in the 2016 fifth round and retained him throughout his rookie contract.

One of Carson Wentz‘s O-linemen at North Dakota State, Haeg was a regular starter from 2016-17. But the Colts demoted him the following season, with Braden Smith taking over at right tackle. However, Haeg brings experience at guard and tackle. That stands to help a Steelers O-line that has more questions at present than it has faced in many years.

Thus far this offseason, the Steelers have lost perennial Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey and versatile starter Matt Feiler. Left tackle Alejandro Villanueva is a free agent. Pittsburgh, however, has made three midlevel signings to compensate. Prior to securing a Haeg commitment, the Steelers reacquired center B.J. Finney and re-signed tackle Zach Banner.

It is uncertain as of now how Pittsburgh will configure its new line around stalwart guard David DeCastro, but it appears likely at least one of these low-cost signings will be called upon to start. Perhaps more.

Steelers To Sign Miles Killebrew

March 20th, 2021 at 1:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

After spending five years with the Lions, versatile defender Miles Killebrew will join the Steelers. The special-teamer committed to Pittsburgh on a one-year deal Saturday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

This signing would seemingly be for a special teams role, with Killebrew playing less than 90 snaps on defense over the past three seasons. Last year, the former safety played just one defensive snap.

A former fourth-round Lions pick, Killebrew has missed just two games throughout his career. While the Southern Utah alum has only started four games in five seasons, the Lions valued him for his special teams acumen. Even after his role on Detroit’s defense evaporated following his second season, Killebrew continued to make 53-man rosters as a niche player.

Detroit re-signed Killebrew on a one-year, $2MM contract in 2020, but with a new regime having arrived, the soon-to-be 28-year-old safety/linebacker will depart.

Steelers Grant Steven Nelson Permission To Seek Trade

March 19th, 2021 at 12:49pm CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers have granted Steven Nelson permission to seek a trade, according to a source who spoke with ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Nelson, 28, has been starting for the Steelers for the last two years.

Nelson isn’t a household name, but the advanced metrics have been fond of his work. Between the last two years combined, Pro Football Focus has him tied as the eleventh-best cornerback in the NFL. Meanwhile, the last year of his three-year, $22.5MM deal is set to count for $14.4MM on the Steelers’ cap. It stands to reason that Nelson would draw trade interest, given his reasonable his base salary of $8.25MM. Still, there are other quality cornerbacks available on the open market, including All-Pro Kyle Fuller.

After watching Mike Hilton leave for the Bengals, the Steelers re-upped corner Cameron Sutton on a two-year deal. Without Nelson, the Steelers’ CB group would be headlined Joe Haden, Sutton, and 2019 third-round pick Justin Layne, who hasn’t seen much playing time.

Steelers Re-Sign JuJu Smith-Schuster

March 19th, 2021 at 12:26pm CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers are bringing JuJu Smith-Schuster back on a one-year deal, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The wide receiver will earn just $8MM on the team-friendly pact (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). And Pittsburgh is playing around with the structure of the deal in order to minimize the 2021 salary cap impact. Per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, Smith-Schuster’s deal includes a $7MM signing bonus and a $1MM salary, and the team is adding four voidable years so that the cap hit this season is just $1.6MM (Twitter link).

Smith-Schuster could have made more elsewhere, as Taylor Bisciotti of NFL.com tweets. The Chiefs offered him a one-year deal with the same base salary of $8MM, plus $3MM in incentives. The Ravens made an even stronger pitch — $9MM plus $4MM in incentives. Ultimately, Smith-Schuster opted to give the Steelers a home team discount.

“At the end of the day, I want to have my legacy in Pittsburgh and retire there,” Smith-Schuster said in February. “I don’t want to leave…I’m Pittsburgh for life.”

Smith-Schuster’s production tailed off over the last two seasons, putting top-of-the-market money out of his reach. Still, he drew widespread interest. In addition to the aforementioned Ravens and Chiefs, the Jets and Raiders were also connected to the youngster. The Jets wound up signing Corey Davis to a three-year, $37.5MM deal. It’s not clear if they offered a similar deal to Smith-Schuster, or if the wide receiver had interest in joining a non-contender.

Smith-Schuster, still only 24, had just 831 receiving yards last year, but there’s reason to believe that he could get back to his old form with Ben Roethlisberger back under center.

As a rookie, Smith-Schuster caught 58 passes for 917 yards and seven touchdowns in just 14 games. In 2018, Smith-Schuster eclipsed then-teammate Antonio Brown with 111 catches for 1,426 yards and seven scores en route to his first ever Pro Bowl nod. He’ll look to reprise those numbers on his new deal in 2021.

Steelers To Re-Sign Chris Wormley

March 18th, 2021 at 1:12pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Steelers just let Tyson Alualu walk to the Jaguars in free agency, but they aren’t letting all their big guys up front head out the door. Pittsburgh is re-signing defensive tackle/end Chris Wormley to a two-year deal, a source told Mark Kaboly of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Jordan Strack of WTOL 11 was first to tweet the news. Pittsburgh sent a 2021 fifth-round pick to the Ravens in a rare inter-division trade to acquire Wormley almost exactly a year ago. Baltimore had originally drafted him 74th overall back in 2017. Wormley has played both in the middle and on the end, and stands at 6’5 and 300 pounds.

He started 13 games for Baltimore between 2018-19, then moved into a rotational role in Pittsburgh last year. He missed three games due to injury, and played just under 20 percent of the defensive snaps when he was active. He finished with three QB hits and a sack in his relatively limited action.

Steelers, JuJu Smith-Schuster Still In Talks

March 18th, 2021 at 11:28am CST by Zachary Links

The Jets want JuJu Smith-Schuster, but a return to the Steelers hasn’t been ruled out, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter). The two sides are still in talks, so a deal could come together at the right price.

Smith-Schuster’s production has tailed off over the last two seasons, but it appears that he’s still seeking top-of-the-market money. Corey Davis just agreed to a three-year, $37.5MM deal with the Jets. Curtis Samuel joined Washington for $34MM+ over three years. Nelson Agholor inked a two-year, $22MM deal with the Patriots. Smith-Schuster — who is a couple years removed from a 1,426-yard campaign — is likely looking to top all of those recent receiver contracts.

Smith-Schuster, still only 24, had just 831 receiving yards last year, but there’s reason to believe that he could get back to his old form with Ben Roethlisberger back under center.

In addition to the Jets and Steelers, the Raiders are also said to have interest in Smith-Schuster. Jon Gruden & Co. just added John Brown on a one-year contract, but there could still be room for JuJu to join 2020 first-round pick Henry Ruggs III and Hunter Renfrow in the WR group.

Steelers To Release Vince Williams

March 16th, 2021 at 3:23pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Steelers are staying busy on Tuesday, releasing a long-time defensive player. Pittsburgh is cutting linebacker Vince Williams, sources told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

As Fowler notes, the move will save the Steelers about $4MM in cap space. The Steelers drafted Williams in the sixth-round back in 2013, and he spent the past eight seasons with the team. In August of 2018 he signed a three-year extension worth $18.6MM. Not bad for a former 206th overall pick.

Williams was a part-time player earlier in his career, but has been a starter the past four seasons. This past year he appeared in 14 games, all starts, racking up 70 tackles, 14 for a loss, and three sacks. In 2017 he had eight sacks despite being an inside linebacker.

The Florida State product will now hit free agency for the first time at the age of 31. He should get picked up by a team in need of linebacking help before too long.

Steelers To Re-Sign Zach Banner

March 16th, 2021 at 3:08pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Maurkice Pouncey has retired, Matt Feiler just signed with the Chargers, and the Steelers might be looking to move on from Alejandro Villanueva, so Pittsburgh’s offensive line is going to look a lot different next year no matter what.

But not everybody is walking out the door, as the team has agreed to terms on a deal to retain tackle Zach Banner, Aditi Kinkhabwala of ESPN.com tweets. It’s a two-year, $9.5MM deal with a $3.25MM signing bonus, she reports. Not too shabby for a player with only two career starts under his belt.

A fourth-round pick of the Colts back in 2017, Banner was cut before ever playing in a game for Indy. He then had brief stints with the Browns and Panthers before landing with the Steelers. He only started one game in 2019, but played in 14 and played 22 percent of the offensive snaps.

Last offseason he won the job to be the Steelers’ new starting right tackle, but tore an ACL during their Week 1 win over the Giants. The team clearly believes in him, and it seems like they envision him winning the starting job again. Since his ACL tear came so early in the year, the USC product should be ready to go for the start of the 2021 season.

Pittsburgh Steelers News & Rumors