As they reshape their roster in 2025, the Pittsburgh Steelers will first need to free up some more cap space — and one cut seems relatively obvious.
Both Bleacher Report and Pro Football Network identified veteran edge rusher Preston Smith as one of the Steelers’ top cut candidates ahead of NFL free agency.
“The Steelers only gave up a seventh-round pick to acquire Preston Smith ahead of the trade deadline this season,” Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine reasoned on January 20. “The veteran pass-rusher ended up playing 161 defensive snaps in eight games for the Steelers and was inactive for the team’s playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens.”
“That’s as good an indication as any that the Steelers won’t have Smith on their roster next season,” the NFL writer continued. “They can wipe the entire $13.4 million cap hit off their books by cutting him. Alex Highsmith and T.J. Watt are a strong pass-rushing duo, and that’s a lot of money to give a third edge rusher.”
Ballentine concluded that “the 32-year-old seems destined for free agency.”
Similarly, Pro Football Network’s Ben Rolfe wrote that “Smith being cut by the Pittsburgh Steelers may end up being one of the easier moves of the offseason” on January 26.
“The pass rusher was a midseason acquisition by the Steelers, but the numbers were mediocre, to say the least,” Rolfe noted. “Smith had just two pressures and two sacks in eight games with the Steelers while racking up 13 tackles.”
“Being traded in the middle of the season is tough,” the PFN analyst went on to acknowledge, “and Smith will almost certainly get a deal somewhere in 2025 but probably at a price far below his $13.4 million hit.”
He agreed that “Smith is a luxury [the Steelers] can afford to cut and re-invest elsewhere.”
Steelers Have ‘Options’ When It Comes to Keeping or Cutting Preston Smith
Although Rolfe settled on cutting Smith, he did point out that “with all of that [$13.4 million] being owed as salary, the Steelers do have some options if they want to reduce his cap number in 2025 and keep him on the roster for another season.”
Instead, Pittsburgh could choose to extend or restructure Smith’s $37.5 million contract.
In an offseason primer shared with Heavy on Steelers, Pro Football Network relayed that Pittsburgh “could save $7,496,667 [$7.497 million] with a conventional restructure or $8,996,000 [$8.996 million] by adding two more void years or signing an extension.”
Over the Cap confirms these financial figures as well, while also reiterating that the Steelers can save the full $13.4 million by releasing Smith prior to June 1.
So, as you can see, the major question will be whether or not keeping Smith is worth that extra four-to-five million. Either way, expect the Steelers’ front office to do something about his cap hit prior to free agency.
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