Change is inevitable, but Steelers players hope to be back, some recognize it might not happen

The final full-squad team meeting for the 2023 edition of the Pittsburgh Steelers lasted all of about 20 minutes Tuesday.

“Nothing groundbreaking,” star outside linebacker T.J. Watt said at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex less than 20 hours after the Steelers’ season ended with a playoff loss at the Buffalo Bills.

And, just like that, the 91st edition of the Steelers will never be together in its present form again.

“Coach (Mike) Tomlin kind of talked about how some of the guys in this room won’t be here,” rookie defensive tackle Keeanu Benton said, “and that really hit me today.”

A look at some 2023 Steelers who aren’t guaranteed to be back for 2024:

Unrestricted free agents

Twelve of the 46 players who got into Monday’s 31-17 loss are due for unrestricted free agency. Two others (inside linebacker Blake Martinez, safety Elijah Riley) were healthy scratches, and another (inside linebacker Kwon Alexander) is on injured reserve.

But none of the UFAs were full-time, full-season starters. Quarterback Mason Rudolph, inside linebacker Mykal Walker and outside linebacker Markus Golden started against the Bills but were, to varying degrees, mere injury replacements. Special-teams captain (and newly named All-Pro) Miles Killebrew is a special case.

Defensive tackle Montravius Adams and cornerback Levi Wallace began the season as starters but eventually were supplanted by rookies. Inside linebacker Myles Jack and safety Eric Rowe were signed off the street and played significant roles down the stretch.

Chandon Sullivan (slot/nickel DB), Miles Boykin (No. 5 WR and special-teamer), James Pierre (backup cornerback and special teams) and Armon Watts (rotational depth defensive lineman) all played niche roles.

“It’s a business, you know what I mean?” Wallace said Tuesday. “You sign a contract, the contract ends, then free agency comes up. But that’s not until March. Right now, it’s season’s over, time to just unwind, relax and reset and just worry about football when it comes back again.”

Might retire?

Cameron Heyward can move into a tie for the third-most seasons played for the franchise if he returns to the Steelers for a 14th year in 2024. But with turning 35 in May and due a salary-cap hit of $22.4 million, the Steelers longtime defensive captain is assured of nothing.

Heyward first must decide if he wants to put his beat-up body through the rigors of another year of pro football. Even if he does, it’s possible the Steelers might ask him to take a reduced salary (or at least, a re-worked contract) for 2024. Three years ago, even Ben Roethlisberger was subjected to such conditions for him to play his final season.

“That’s their decision,” Heyward said. “I don’t try to live in what-ifs or what can happen. Obviously, I’d like to be here, but when your number is called, your number is called.

“It’s a business first, and I get that. We’ll cross that road when we get there.”

Cap casualties?

In this group are veterans who have significant money owed in 2024, particularly with low amounts of “dead money” charged to the cap if they are cut. No. 3 wide receiver Allen Robinson, for example, is owed $10 million in base salary next season, but the Steelers are charged a mere $1.9 million if he is let go.

While a player such as defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi ($13.3 million cap hit if he stays, $7.1 million hit if he’s cut) might give Steelers management pause to consider bringing him back, players who were demoted during the season, Mitch Trubisky and Chuks Okorafor, are prime candidates to be cap casualties.

Trubisky ended the season as a No. 3 QB and is due $5.25 million in 2024. Like Trubisky, Okorafor has a lower “dead money” number that what he’d be compensated this coming season. In November, he was displaced as the starting right tackle by rookie Broderick Jones.

“If I knew that was going to be the case, I probably wouldn’t have chosen to come back here,” Okorafor, alluding to an extension he signed in 2022. “But at that point there was nothing I could really do about it. A lot can happen (over the offseason), so I don’t really know what to say about it.”

Extension possibilities

For the purpose of evaluating those who might get a contract extension before the next season begins, look at starters who are entering the final season of their contracts. Aside from Heyward, that group includes tight end Pat Freiermuth, receiver Diontae Johnson, guard James Daniels, center Mason Cole, left tackle Dan Moore Jr. and defensive back Patrick Peterson.

Of that group, Freiermuth and Moore are on rookie contracts, and Daniels (26 years old) and Johnson (27) are still young enough they might be more likely to receive interest for extensions.

“I love Pittsburgh (and) I want to play the rest of my career here,” Freiermuth said. “But (a contract) is not what I’m really thinking about now. I’m thinking about this past season and where I can grow.”

Running back Najee Harris technically doesn’t fall into this category because the he is eligible for a fifth-year option for 2025. But an offseason storyline to watch is if the Steelers choose to exercise it.

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