The Pittsburgh Steelers finally signed veteran safety Darnell Savage to a contract this week. To do so, though, the team bid farewell to another safety — Makari Paige.
The Steelers announced waiving Paige on Tuesday. The safety has yet to play in an NFL regular season game but won a national championship with the Michigan Wolverines during the 2023 campaign.
Paige’s release in Pittsburgh came less than three weeks after the Steelers signed the safety. On May 13, the team released cornerback Cory Trice Jr. and signed Paige.
Paige played 53 games for Michigan over five seasons. He amassed 135 combined tackles, eight pass defenses, three interceptions and one sack.
During the team’s 2023 national championship campaign, Paige had 41 combined tackles, two pass defenses, two interceptions and a fumble recovery.
As a rookie in 2025, Paige experienced a stint with the New York Giants.
“Paige originally signed with the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent following the 2025 NFL Draft,” wrote Steelers.com’s Teresa Varley. “He spent time on the Giants practice squad last season.”
Steelers Release Makari Paige
GettyThe Pittsburgh moved on from safety Makari Paige less than three weeks after signing him.
Paige didn’t get much of an opportunity to leave an impression in Pittsburgh. Granted, sometimes players get far less than what the former Michigan safety even got.
Paige had two weeks of offseason workouts to showcase he deserved a roster spot entering training camp. But before mandatory minicamp began for the team, Paige found himself as the odd-man out.
Unfortunately for Paige, that wasn’t super surprising. The Steelers have done a lot to address their secondary depth, including safety. It’s going to be a tough group for any young player to compete with this summer.
Before this week, Paige was one of three new safeties the Steelers signed in free agency since March. The team also grabbed seventh-round pick Robert Spears-Jennings in the 2026 NFL Draft.
To add Savage, the Steelers cutting ties with Paige was the most natural move.
Steelers Added Darnell Savage
GettyThe Pittsburgh Steelers released safety Makari Paige to make roster space for Darnell Savage on Tuesday.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported on March 10 the Steelers were signing Savage. That didn’t happen, though, until Tuesday.
It’s not clear what delayed Savage’s signing. But the veteran safety is now officially joining the black and gold.
Savage will bring a lot more NFL experience than what Paige can offer. Over seven NFL seasons, Savage has played in 97 games, starting 83 of them. He’s posted 371 combined tackles, including 11 for loss with 41 pass defenses and 10 interceptions.
The Green Bay Packers picked Savage at No. 21 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. Over five years with the Packers, Savage started 69 contests. He had his best statistical season in 2020 with 75 combined tackles, including three for loss, 12 pass defenses and four interceptions.
Since leaving the Packers, Savage has played for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Washington Commanders and Buffalo Bills. In fact, the safety played for all three of those teams last season.
During 2025, he had 18 combined tackles, three pass defenses and a forced fumble in 12 games.
The Steelers also signed safety Jaquan Brisker in NFL free agency this offseason. Brisker could start next to fellow veteran DeShon Elliott, but pundits also expect Jalen Ramsey to play a significant role at safety for Pittsburgh next season.
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