The Pittsburgh Steelers have fielded the NFL’s highest-paid defense since 2022, according to The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo.
“When [T.J.] Watt and [Minkah] Fitzpatrick’s salaries fully hit the cap, Pittsburgh became the NFL’s highest-paid defense in 2022 with a collective cap hit of $109.9 million, according to Over the Cap,” the Pittsburgh beat writer relayed on December 31.
“The defense has hung onto that title ever since,” DeFabo went on. Explaining: “The Steelers’ cap hit on defense bumped up to $111.7 million in 2023 and then $137.2 million this season. That’s more than $20 million beyond the next-most-expensive defense (the [Chicago] Bears at $117.03 million).”
He also added that “when 2024 offseason addition Patrick Queen’s cap hit spikes [in 2025], the Steelers are scheduled to again lead the league in defensive spending with $168.4 million, more than $34 million clear of the next-highest spender.”
Needless to say, Pittsburgh might have to consider making some trades or cuts on the defensive side.
Per Over the Cap, the Steelers’ most likely cap casualty this offseason is veteran linebacker Cole Holcomb — who recently returned to practice after a very long stint on the injured reserve. Over the Cap estimates 76.5% odds of a negative fate when it comes to the recovering linebacker.
While unfortunate for Holcomb, considering the alarming nature of his knee injury, this is the harsh reality of a business like the NFL.
Steelers Can Save $6 Million in Cap Space by Releasing Linebacker Cole Holcomb, And Likely Will
Holcomb signed an $18 million contract with the Steelers in 2023. Then, he got hurt, and Pittsburgh was forced to replace him with players like Queen and 2024 rookie Payton Wilson.
At age 29 in July, the Steelers can and likely will choose to cut Holcomb this offseason — saving $6 million in cap space. And there are multiple reasons for this.
One, his age and positional depth. As mentioned above, the Steelers have adequately replaced Holcomb, making his presence somewhat unnecessary.
Two, the fact that his dead cap charge remains the same no matter how Pittsburgh chooses to move on. Post-June 1, pre-June 1, release or trade, the Steelers will free up $6 million either way. That really makes this a no-brainer for general manager Omar Khan.
And finally, Holcomb has not lived up to his salary due to lack of availability. This is usually more difficult to measure, but in the case of Holcomb, it’s obvious.
After inking the $18 million deal, the linebacker will close out his Pittsburgh tenure with just 8 appearances, 2 forced fumbles and 54 total tackles (4 for a loss).
Steelers Might Have to Remake Themselves in 2025
Continuing on with the discussion above, DeFabo pointed out that while the Steelers defense has been very good — or perhaps even elite — against the average quarterback or team, they’ve struggled against top competition. This feeds into the narrative of head coach Mike Tomlin getting this franchise to the playoffs in recent seasons and then never getting over the hump.
“At different points this season, the defense has come close to dominating,” DeFabo acknowledged. “The Steelers won two games this year without scoring an offensive touchdown — including in Week 11, when they held Lamar Jackson and the No. 1 ranked [Baltimore] Ravens offense to arguably its worst performance of the season.”
“However, if the Steelers’ formula is to win with defense, they had better show it against the AFC’s best quarterbacks: [Patrick] Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow and Jackson,” the reporter went on. “That’s especially true in the playoffs.”
And DeFabo wrote all this before the Week 18 defeat and eventual playoff collapse in Baltimore.
“A deep dive into the numbers reveals the two sides to this discussion,” he concluded. “On one hand, the NFL’s highest-paid defense has actually been quite good — even great in some instances — against the two star QBs in the AFC North (Burrow and Jackson). On the other hand, against the elite QBs outside the division (Mahomes and Allen), the Steelers’ defense has been average at best and, by many measures, one of the league’s worst.”
It’s clear that in order to win another Super Bowl, Pittsburgh must adapt to the current NFL landscape. That could mean remaking themselves completely and changing their concepts about roster construction, or it could mean coaching and game planning differently, but it’s very clear that the Steelers must show more willingness to change.
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