The Pittsburgh Steelers have some excellent salary values on their books for the 2024 season. However they also have some players on the roster that are making a pretty penny and not giving the team much value in return.
Here’s a look at some of the Steelers’ best and worst contract values for the 2024 season, with salary cap data courtesy of Over The Cap.
Russell Wilson Wilson will compete with quarterback Justin Fields, to be the Steelers starting quarterback. Should Wilson win that competition, and play reasonably well the Steelers will be lauded for finding an above-average quarterback for pennies on the dollar. That would be quite the coup for Steelers general manager Omar Khan and head coach Mike Tomlin, considering that per Over The Cap, Wilson currently slots in as the 28th or 29th highest-paid starting quarterback per their 2024 salary cap number. He slots in at that position due to the Denver Broncos quarterback situation of either Jarrett Stidham starting for them this season or rookie quarterback Bo Nix. Of course, if Wilson plays well, then the team would have to extend him, but that is a conversation for later down the road.
There is very minimal risk in signing a starting quarterback with his level of playing experience for the league minimum. If Wilson winds up having a fantastic season and leading the Steelers to a long-sought-after playoff win, the signing is a stroke of brilliance. If it doesn’t work then there’s no harm done to the 2024 team and they will see what Fields can do. It is a win-win situation for the Steelers in 2024 and possibly beyond.
The Steelers identified a player who could make an impact on their team in a position of need and they landed him. That is the end of it, right? Nope, not only did they manage to sign Queen; Khan also structured the first year of the deal so that Queen has the 25th highest cap number in the league in 2024 according to Over The Cap. That is just ice cream on top of the proverbial cake.
Veteran safety DeShon Elliott was a nice bargain signing at a position of need for the Steelers. They did not have anyone capable of playing the position last season, especially, and Elliott should be able to step in and give the team above-average play at the position.
Unless a player is a premium safety, the position has been devalued a bit as far as the size of the contracts given to players — even more so the strong safety position, as it seems to have become a plug-and-play position. However, the Steelers tried that in 2023 and for them, it did not work. Elliott just needs to be a solid football player for the Steelers at that position, and it’s a bargain for the team. And at his cap number this season that is excellent value.
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