Steelers’ offseason primer: dates, deadlines, draft, free agency and more

Pittsburgh Steelers fans disappointed by their team’s season ending Monday woke up the next morning to word that NFL draft was exactly 100 days away. Rest assured many fans were already eagerly looking ahead to it and prognosticating whom the Steelers might take.

While the draft is certainly a highlight of the NFL offseason, it’s far from the only newsworthy event for the Steelers. A look at what’s to come for the team before its next game is played in August:

About that draft…

Roger Goodell will step to the podium April 25 in Detroit for the draft that the NFL has turned into a three-day, made-for-TV event.

The Steelers, by way of their 10-7 record and wild-card round playoff loss, sit with the 20^th overall pick (barring trades). According to NFL draft resource tankathon.com, they own picks at No. 51 and No. 84 on Day 2 of the draft. In an odd quirk, the Steelers are slotted at consecutive picks in Round 4 because the trade of Kevin Dotson to the Los Angeles Rams netted them the Rams’ fourth-round pick.

That same deal leaves them — as of now — with no picks in Round 5. The Steelers still hold their selections in the sixth and seventh rounds.

Unlike most seasons in recent decades, the Steelers almost assuredly will not be receiving any compensatory picks the league hands out via a formula mapping what teams netted the most talent in the prior year’s free agency.

The draft class’ first exposure to Steelers headquarters comes in rookie minicamp, likely May 10-12.

Speaking of free agency…

This year’s free agency will begin in earnest when players and teams are free to negotiate beginning at noon March 11. Contracts cannot be signed until 4 p.m. March 13, when a figurative flipping of the calendar takes place on a new NFL league year.

According to spotrac.com, the Steelers have 15 players who played this past season eligible for unrestricted free agency. None, though, served as full-season, full-time starters on offense or defense. The most prominent names free to leave if unsigned to an extension by then are special-teams captain Miles Killebrew, defensive tackle Montravius Adams, inside linebacker Kwon Alexander, cornerback Levi Wallace … and quarterback Mason Rudolph.

The Steelers have no restricted free agents of note.

One player who is not a free agent but the Steelers must make a formal contract decision on is running back Najee Harris. The Steelers have until May 2 to pick up or decline his fifth-year option for 2025 at a figure projected to be $6.659 million.

What about other player losses?

Aside from the decision regarding defensive captain Cameron Heyward about whether the soon-to-be 35-year-old will come back (and at what price) for the 2024 season, the Steelers have decisions to make on whether to cut some high-priced veterans who might not be worth their salary-cap hits.

While these types of decisions are not completely correlated with whether a player’s contact contains a roster bonus — receiver Allen Robinson, for example, is a prime candidate to get cut because of the $10 million in base salary he’d be paid otherwise — contracts are often structured to force a team’s hand on making a decision on cutting a player. Six veterans, per spotrac.com, are due roster bonuses from the Steelers with deadlines at varying points in late March — Larry Ogunjobi ($4.75 million), Chuks Okorafor ($4 million), Diontae Johnson ($3 million), Patrick Peterson ($3 million), Mason Cole ($1.5 million) and Mitch Trubisky ($1 million).

Expect attrition of (at least) 1-2 players there.

Anything else?

Expect the Steelers to any day now begin to announce reserve/future contract signings for players who finished the season on theirs or another team’s practice squad or are currently unsigned overall.

They also typically are among the NFL’s most active teams in signing players from spring pro leagues — this season, the UFL season is scheduled to run from late March to early June.

Dates to know

Under the collective bargaining agreement, voluntary spring workouts for the Steelers likely begin April 15 with two weeks of meetings, strength and conditioning, and physical rehabilitation. That will be followed by two weeks of on-field workouts conducted at a walkthrough pace but in position-specific settings.

What is generally recognized as “OTAs” for the Steelers is projected to begin May 21 with nine practice-style sessions over three weeks. A three-day mandatory minicamp follows in early-to-mid June.

Then? A relatively quiet six weeks before reporting day at Saint Vincent College. That date won’t be announced until spring, but history suggests training camp will begin July 25 or 26.

Only a mere 27 weeks away.

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