The Pittsburgh Steelers spent almost $100 million in NFL free agency last offseason. With that money, the Steelers signed Week 1 starters at quarterback, center, guard, inside linebacker, cornerback and safety.
The expectation is the Steelers won’t be buyers like that again this spring. But The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac predicted in his latest fan chat that the Steelers would sign several of their own free agents.
Specifically, Dulac projected general manager Omar Khan to agree to new deals with cornerbacks Cameron Sutton and James Pierre, defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi, linebacker Robert Spillane, and tight end Zach Gentry.
Dulac also wrote that safety Terrell Edmunds may be back too.
Sutton figures to be the most coveted of those six Steelers free agents. Pro Football Focus ranked Sutton the third-best cornerback and 23rd overall player available in NFL free agency this year.
Contract Projections for CB Cameron Sutton
PFF projected Sutton to receive $25.5 million on a three-year contract, giving him an average annual salary of $8.5 million per season. Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox and Spotrac estimated a similar value for Sutton, predicting him to be worth $5.9 million and $7.6 million on a per annual basis, respectfully.
Based on the fact Sutton is one of the better cornerbacks available in free agency, though, he could easily receive a contract worth closer to $10 million per season.
The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly wrote that he would offer Sutton a three-year, $30 million deal but “wouldn’t go much past that.” Dulac told his readers in the chat room on March 9 that Sutton is not worth $10 million per season, but Dulac did admit he likes Sutton’s versatility, which could raise his value.
The Steelers don’t have any salary cap room, so no matter what, they will need to cut players on the current roster in order to fit Sutton under the cap. But Kaboly, along with other insiders and experts, have called the 27-year-old cornerback the team’s top priority in free agency.
Steelers to Bring Back Ogunjobi, Spillane?
After ranking Sutton first, Kaboly also placed Ogunjobi and Spillane in the top six of the team’s priorities to re-sign this offseason.
Kaboly rated Ogunjobi at No. 3 behind only Sutton …read more
Source:: Heavy.com