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.
Preston Smith’s Snap Count Decreased When Steelers Needed Him Most
As Ballentine alluded, Smith was seldom called upon down the stretch, and that’s when the Steelers’ depth was tested the most considering their late-season schedule.
After joining Pittsburgh, Smith was on the field for 25 defensive snaps in Week 10 according to Pro Football Focus.
The next couple of weeks after that, he played 17 defensive snaps in each game. Then 25 in Week 13, 19 in Week 14 and a Steelers-high of 28 in Week 15.
At that point, it appeared Smith was gaining head coach Mike Tomlin’s trust a bit more, but that didn’t continue down the stretch.
Smith followed up on the 28-snap outing with just 13 defensive snaps in Week 16 and a Christmas Day scratch in Week 17. He finished the regular season with one of his better performances in Week 18 — which included a sack — but then was promptly scratched again in the playoffs as Ballentine mentioned.
Based on that lack of trust and usage, it feels much more likely that Smith is cut in 2025, rather than restructured or extended.
