Pittsburgh Steelers Salary Cap Situation Entering 2024 Regular Season
Pittsburgh Steelers Salary Cap Update: The Steelers still have salary cap flexibility entering the 2024 regular season.
The Pittsburgh Steelers did not end up trading for wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, but that doesn’t mean that general manager Omar Khan is sitting on a giant pile of cash as the Steelers enter the 2024 season.
The Steelers currently have just under $14 million in functional salary cap space, according to Steelers Now’s estimate, but much of that will be accounted for rather quickly. The 52nd and 53rd players will begin to count against the salary cap next week, the Steelers will have approximately $4 million spent on practice squad players by then, and Khan will want to leave about a $5 million buffer to enter the season with.
That leaves the Steelers with functionally just under $3 million in salary cap space at the present moment. So how were the Steelers going to be able to afford Aiyuk or another significant move in the first place?
The Steelers can create almost $30 million in additional cap space with contract restructures and/or extensions. An extension for Cam Heyward could save nearly $10 million in 2024, while restructures for Minkah Fitzpatrick and T.J. Watt could net another $18.8 million. While those moves would increase their cap commitment for 2025 and beyond, the Steelers currently have the fourth-least amount of salary committed for the 2025 season of any NFL team.
With an Aiyuk move off the table, the Steelers could turn their attention to re-signing some of their own free agents. While a Heyward extension would likely create cap space, moves to extend the contracts of players such as Pat Freiermuth, Najee Harris or Jaylen Warren would likely increase their 2024 salary cap hits.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS 2024 SALARY CAP BREAKDOWN
| Functional cap space (est.) | $2,898,040 | T.J. Watt | $30,418,694 |
| Cam Heyward | $22,406,250 | ||
| Estimated 2024 NFL salary cap | $255,400,000 | Minkah Fitzpatrick | $21,355,000 |
| Steelers 2023 cap rollover | $2,340,192 | Larry Ogunjobi | $13,283,333 |
| Steelers 2024 salary cap (est.) | $257,740,192 | James Daniels | $11,166,668 |
| Isaac Seumalo | $10,191,666 | ||
| Top 51 salaries | $204,603,346 | Alex Highsmith | $6,727,000 |
| Dead cap hits | $24,886,325 | Patrick Queen | $6,113,333 |
| Donte Jackson | $6,000,000 | ||
| Offseason cap space (est.) | $13,869,264 | Chris Boswell | $4,720,000 |
| Elandon Roberts | $4,667,500 | ||
| End of rule of 51 | $1,971,224 | Najee Harris | $4,151,460 |
| Practice squad (est.) | $4,000,000 | Damontae Kazee | $3,875,000 |
| In-season buffer | $5,000,000 | Broderick Jones | $3,778,719 |
| Injured reserve | $13,487,337 | Dan Moore Jr. | $3,540,475 |
| Workout bonuses | $893,920 | Justin Fields | $3,233,448 |
| Troy Fautanu | $2,737,326 | ||
| Potential future savings | Miles Killebrew | $2,255,000 | |
| Heyward extension | $9,860,000 | DeShon Elliott | $2,250,000 |
| Fitzpatrick restructure | $8,860,000 | Cordarelle Patterson | $2,250,000 |
| Watt restructure | $9,965,000 | Joey Porter Jr. | $2,185,988 |
| Montravius Adams | $2,125,000 | ||
| Cameron Johnston | $2,083,333 | ||
| Pat Freiermuth | $1,918,057 | ||
| Dean Lowry | $1,875,000 | ||
| George Pickens | $1,841,506 | ||
| Keeanu Benton | $1,666,619 | ||
| DeMarvin Leal | $1,414,608 | ||
| Zach Frazier | $1,371,675 | ||
| Darnell Washington | $1,216,798 | ||
| Russell Wilson | $1,210,000 | ||
| Christian Kuntz | $1,163,333 | ||
| Kyle Allen | $1,152,500 | ||
| Scotty Miller | $1,152,500 | ||
| Van Jefferson | $1,152,500 | ||
| Isaiahh Loudermilk | $1,135,072 | ||
| Calvin Austin III | $1,111,084 | ||
| Nick Herbig | $1,083,231 | ||
| Roman Wilson | $1,044,576 | ||
| MyCole Pruitt | $1,035,000 | ||
| Connor Heyward | $1,023,806 | ||
| Payton Wilson | $1,017,511 | ||
| Mark Robinson | $1,013,089 | ||
| Jaylen Warren | $989,000 | ||
| Mason McCormick | $986,224 | ||
| Tyler Matakevich | $985,000 | ||
| Spencer Anderson | $934,446 | ||
| Ryan McCollum | $915,000 | ||
| Darius Rush | $915,000 | ||
| Jalen Elliott | $915,000 | ||
| Logan Lee | $850,018 | ||
| Cory Trice | $816,109 | ||
| Beanie Bishop | $803,333 |
*Dead cap hits currently account for the prorated signing bonus of players not among the top 51 contracts.
Salary figures from Steelers Now sources, the NFLPA, and OvertheCap.com.
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