For years, free agency felt like a mere blip on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ calendar. While much of the league dove headfirst into the open market, Pittsburgh only dipped in its toes, using free agency sparingly to supplement a draft-and-develop approach.
However, a new front office brought a slight shift in philosophy.
During Omar Khan’s first free agency in the pilot’s chair last year, the general manager inked several significant starting-caliber players and handed out a handsome extension to Larry Ogunjobi. The $30 million increase in the salary cap and the numerous roster cuts to save money should provide Pittsburgh with enough wiggle room to find a few more impact players this year.
Khan didn’t even wait for free agency to open before making a huge splash, adding nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson on a one-year deal late Sunday night and setting off a chain of events during the first week of free agency.
Below are the latest details on what the Steelers have done, where the salary cap stands and what the moves mean in the big picture. This post will be updated as new roster moves are made. Grades will be handed out with every transaction.
After the Steelers moved on from Kenny Pickett on Friday, they needed to find options and talent to fill out the quarterbacks room. It took 24 hours for general manager Omar Khan to acquire a talented quarterback with potential yet doing it in a way that is safe for them. They acquired Fields for a conditional sixth-round pick that could transform into a fourth-round pick depending on playing time. It is less than what the Eagles gave up to acquire Pickett. Fields is far from a sure bet, but with the Bears in a position to take a quarterback with the No. 1 pick and Fields heading into his fourth year, he became expendable. And with the quarterback market softening, a potential fourth-round pick is chump change in terms of compensation to acquire a young quarterback with potential. Fields will back up Russell Wilson, and the Steelers will surely not pick up his fifth-year option in early May, but that’s not the reason they moved on him. He was the best available backup and can now provide the Steelers with options at the end of the season when Wilson also becomes a free agent. Fields will have a year to learn the Steelers system before a long-term decision needs to be made. OK, he’s flawed and who knows if he will ever be as good as he was two years ago, but the risk in acquiring him was low.
