It was reported on Monday that the Pittsburgh Steelers and 31 other NFL teams will have $224.8 million to play with entering the 2023 off-season. That's great news for the teams with high financial responsibilities including Pittsburgh and general manager, Omar Khan.
There will have to be several decisions made over the course of the next few months and William Jackson III along with others are likely to be shown the door to preserve cap space. There are, however, some players who don't necessarily deserve another year on their current contract, but are likely to return in 2023.
Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky warms up for a 2022 preseason game | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
The Steelers Answer At ILB Is Already In Black And Gold And Pittsburgh Absolutely Needs To Keep Him There
Backup quarterback, Mitchell Trubisky is one who is likely to be welcomed back despite a cap hit of over $10.5 million. He is a veteran who was a clear team player after being benched in 2022. He isn't the priority to bring back, however, as the Steelers are, as of now, completely lost at a defensive position that struggled the last couple years.
If the organization does not re-sign Devin Bush or Robert Spillane, the inside linebacker position will look extremely light with Myles Jack and a recent seventh-round pick, Mark Robinson. Jack is similar to Trubisky in the cap hit category with one of just over $11 million. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh doesn't have the luxury of releasing him and saving the money given the positional group.
Jack arguably had his least effective season on the field since 2019 and the case for his release in order to save some money and go in a different direction is warranted, but not wise at the end of the day.
Pittsburgh Steelers inside linebacker, Myles Jack (#51) laughs during 2022 training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA. | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
The Steelers absolutely need to revamp the inside linebacker position, but the way to do it is not releasing Jack. On top of that, leaving Robinson as the only one under contract could set the defense back, regardless of who is signed in free agency or drafted come April."I would love to come back. I would love to keep the same team, but you know how the NFL is, man. You never know what is going to happen," Jack said.
Despite underperforming in 2022, Jack still had 103 tackles, three tackles for loss and one QB hit. There's no reason to part ways with a solid inside linebacker when the market is relatively thin and the Steelers already have no one in place to succeed him. He was signed to a two-year deal almost a year ago and the franchise should without a doubt keep him on the roster for another season.
Pittsburgh has an older defense with plenty of leadership, but that doesn't make Jack expendable. He is the only one with legitimate on-field experience within his positional group who is under contract to be on the team in a few months.
If the Steelers are that high on Spillane and he is re-signed, a free agent signing and draft pick might change this reality. But for now, Jack should not be going anywhere, despite his financial situation.
Are you okay with Jack coming back for another season, even though he may not be worth the cap hit? Let us know in the comments below!
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