The Pittsburgh Steelers have lost their first free agent of the 2023 class, and it’s a big one, as starting cornerback Cam Sutton has agreed to a free agent contract with the Detroit Lions.
Sutton and the Lions have come to an agreement on a three year deal with a total of $33 million and $22 million in guaranteed money, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
General manager Omar Khan had called re-singing Sutton a priority for the team this offseason and said contract talks were underway during the NFL Combine two weeks ago.
“We think very highly of Cam,” Khan said. “Conversations have commenced. We’ll see where it goes. Just like all of our free agents, everything is on the table.”
It’s not clear how the discussions between Sutton and the Steelers broke down. Sutton’s three-year deal with the Lions represents a significant raise from the two-year, $9 million contract he had been playing under with the Steelers.
Sutton, 28, had started for the last two and half seasons for the Steelers, using his versatility to serve as both an early-down outside cornerback and a passing-down slot coverage man.
He had 15 passes defended in 2022 to set a career high and lead the Steelers. He also set a career high with three interceptions and had 43 tackles, one for a loss.
A third-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Sutton had spent his entire career with the Steelers, playing 84 games and making 39 starts in Pittsburgh. He had been the longest-tenured member of the Steelers secondary.
The Steelers still have outside cornerbacks Levi Wallace and Ahkello Witherspoon and slot man Arthur Maulet under contract for 2023. The club previously released William Jackson III in a salary cap-saving move.
Sutton is the first of the Steelers’ 18 unrestricted free agents to agree to a contract on Monday, the first day of the NFL free agent contact period. The signing cannot be made official until the start of the new league year at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.