Are Steelers Over-Spending on Defense?

The Pittsburgh Steelers had the most expensive defense in the NFL in the 2022 season, spending $109.9 million on defensive players last season.

They’re on pace to be among the leaders in defensive spending in 2023, as well. The club entered Wednesday with $118.8 million in defensive spending, fourth-most in the NFL, and that’s before we have the full tabulation from the four-year, $68 million contract extension handed out to outside linebacker Alex Highsmith.

When Highsmith’s new deal is tallied, the Steelers will also have among the most money committed to the defense in most future seasons, as well. They’re already fifth in 2024 at $127.2 million.

In terms of average salary per year, Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt is the second-most expensive defensive player in the NFL, with his $28 million annual salary trailing only Aaron Donald.

Minkah Fitzpatrick ($18.3 million), Cam Heyward ($16.4 million) and Highsmith ($14 million) will give the Steelers with four players making $14 million or more on defense. They only have one (Diontae Johnson) making that much on offense.

The big question is whether the Steelers are spending so much on defense because that’s an organizational priority, or that just happens to be the case during a part of the contract cycle that sees most of the club’s top offensive weapons on rookie deals.

The most expensive positions on offense are typically quarterback, wide receiver and left tackle, and all of those, outside of Johnson, are being handled by players on rookie deals. The Steelers are also getting relative bargains at tight end and running back.

Of the team’s first- and second-round picks from the last three seasons, five — Najee Harris, Pat Freiermuth, Kenny Pickett, George Pickens and Broderick Jones — will be plying their trade on the offensive side of the ball for the Steelers this season.

If those players all work out like the Steelers hope, they’re going to need to be able to invest in the offense in the near future.

But it appears that the Steelers are preparing for that eventuality. The first big offensive contract to come due will be Freiermuth’s in 2025. That year, the Steelers defensive commitments drop from $127.2 million not including Highsmith to just $81 million.

After Freiermuth, Harris and Pickens will be free agents in 2026 and Pickett in 2027, with the Steelers able to spread out the impact of their top skill position players over several years.

So the Steelers remain heavily invested on defense for now, but they won’t get to a point where they have to make a significant choice between defense and offense for quite some time.