Five Biggest Free Agency Moves: Pittsburgh Steelers
With free agency now into its fifth week as April’s Draft draws closer, it’s time to start reviewing which teams filled some needs and who got weaker. Here are the five biggest free agency moves for each team so far.
The Steelers reached the AFC Championship game last season before being outplayed by New England. A dejected-sounding Ben Roethlisberger mulled retirement this off-season, but it’s likely that he returns for another year. If this is to be Big Ben’s last season, then Pittsburgh need to reload with the sole aim of beating the Patriots. Here are Pittsburgh’s five biggest free agency moves:
1 — Extending Antonio Brown
Brown solidified his status as one of the NFL’s best receivers with 106 catches for 1284 yards and 12 touchdowns. So the Steelers made sure they locked him up for the future by making him the league’s highest paid receiver with a four year, $68 million extension. Brown ensures that the Three B’s (Brown, Big Ben, and running back Le’Veon Bell) will be together for at least another year. However, with rumours of him pouting when Bell got a touchdown instead of him in the AFC title tilt, a reputation for chasing statistics, and a social media faux pas from Pittsburgh’s locker room after the Divisional round win over the Chiefs, Brown will have to prove that he has the team’s needs ranked above his own.
2 — Franchising Le’Veon Bell
Bell is one of the best running backs in football and is part of a new breed of workhorse backs who can be dual-threats on the ground and through the air. In 2016, Bell rushed 261 times for 1268 yards and seven touchdowns while also catching 75 passes for 616 yards and two scores. But despite struggling with both injuries and suspensions for much of his career, the Steelers couldn’t let him leave, and so placed the franchise tag on him. Bell will be football’s highest paid running back this season at $12 million as Pittsburgh works to sign him to a long-term extension.
3 — Re-signing Landry Jones
Roethlisberger has missed six games over the past two seasons, and as the Raiders learned last season, when your star quarterback goes down, he can take your season down with him without a decent backup. Landry Jones has been solid as a backup for the Steelers, and re-signed with the team on a two year, $4.4 million deal, giving Pittsburgh insurance in case Big Ben goes down again.
4 — Signing Justin Hunter
Sammie Coates and Markus Wheaton were supposed to form the deep threat element in Pittsburgh’s offense while also standing in for the suspended Martavis Bryant. However, neither has impressed, with Wheaton being allowed to leave for Chicago in free agency. Justin Hunter also disappointed in Tennessee despite being a second round pick, and signed a one year contract with Pittsburgh after a lost season in Buffalo. Hunter can be a nice deep threat and should improve with Big Ben throwing him bombs.
5 — Signing Tyson Alualu
Pittsburgh’s defense under Mike Tomlin has not been the force it once was. The defensive line needs improving, so the Steelers signed former Jaguars first round pick Tyson Alualu to a two year, $4.25 million deal to add to the defensive end rotation. Alualu was inconsistent in seven years for the Jaguars as a role player, but has 17.5 career sacks and six pass breakups.
