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Steelers Salary Cap Update after Fautanu, Sutton Signings

Pittsburgh Steelers Salary Cap Update: Omar Khan still has plenty of cap space after Fautanu, Sutton signings.

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Pittsburgh Steelers CB Cam Sutton
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Cam Sutton warms up before a preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks on Aug. 14, 2022. -- Ed Thompson / Steelers Now

The Pittsburgh Steelers added a few new contracts of significance to their salary cap rolls during OTAs, signing first-round pick Troy Fautanu to his rookie contract and adding veteran defensive back Cam Sutton.



The team still have significant salary cap flexibility after their latest moves, and could be looking to sign or trade for a wide receiver over the summer. So where does the teamโ€™s salary cap situation currently stand?

The Steelers currently have $16.5 million in offseason salary cap space available, according to Steelers Nowโ€™s estimate. That’s down from $19.3 million in our last update in April.

That doesnโ€™t include several expenses that we know are coming up quickly. The Steelers have yet to sign second-round pick Zach Frazier, a move that we anticipate costing less than $450,000 against the cap, when factoring Top 51 displacement. After minicamp, the teamโ€™s workout bonuses for players on rookie contracts will also be finalized. There is a placeholder value of $907,200, but the final is usually not the full amount.

So if the Steelers want to make a move in the next few weeks, Omar Khan will have nearly $15 million in salary cap space to work with.

There will be more expenses as the Steelers near the regular season, that will take up most of that space. The team will need approximately $1.9 million for the final two spots on the roster, $4 million to sign a practice squad, and leave as much as $10 million in reserve for players on the injured reserve list and as an in-season buffer. Functionally, the Steelers are about $1 million over their season-start cap figure, when taking all of that into account.

But they can also 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.

So the Steelers have plenty of ability to use all of their current offseason salary cap space, and still take care of upcoming expenses.

That could come in the form of a big splash at wide receiver, or it could also mean contract extensions with first-year raises for players like Pat Freiermuth or Najee Harris.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS 2024 SALARY CAP BREAKDOWN

Functional cap space (est.) -1,016,723 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 $216,189,707 Cole Holcomb $7,640,000
Dead cap hits $24,553,312* Alex Highsmith $6,727,000
Patrick Queen $6,113,333
Offseason cap space (est.) $16,477,173 Donte Jackson $6,000,000
Nate Herbig $5,460,000
Draft pool $443,229 Chris Boswell $4,720,000
End of rule of 51 $1,971,224 Elandon Roberts $4,667,500
Practice squad (est.) $4,000,000 Najee Harris $4,151,460
In-season buffer/IR (est.) $10,000,00 Damontae Kazee $3,875,000
Workout bonuses (placeholder) $907,200 Broderick Jones $3,778,719
Dan Moore Jr. $3,540,475
Potential future savings Justin Fields $3,233,448
Heyward extension $9,860,000 Troy Fautanu $2,737,326
Fitzpatrick restructure $8,860,000 Miles Killebrew $2,255,000
Watt restructure $9,965,000 DeShon Elliott $2,250,000
Cordarelle Patterson $2,250,000
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
Darnell Washington $1,216,798
Russell Wilson $1,210,000
Christian Kuntz $1,163,333
Kyle Allen $1,152,500
Van Jefferson $1,152,500
Scotty Miller $1,152,500
Quez Watkins $1,152,500
Isaiahh Loudermilk $1,135,072
Calvin Austin III $1,111,084
Nick Herbig $1,083,231
Breiden Fehoko $1,055,000
Denzel Mims $1,055,000
La’Mical Perine $1,055,000
Matthew Wright $1,055,000
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

*Dead cap hits currently account for the prorated signing bonus of players not among the top 51 contracts.

Salary figures fromย Steelers Nowย sources, the NFLPA, and OvertheCap.com.

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