The Pittsburgh Steelers are currently enjoying an excellent season as the team is 10-3 heading into their Week 15 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Steelers have a firm lead in the AFC North, and they seem like they could be serious competitors once the postseason rolls around. Once the 2024 season comes to a close, General Manager Omar Khan and the rest of the organization will look to 2025, and building a team that could hoist the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the year.
%202023%20Camp%20Final%20with%20Logos/2L9A7672-544x306.jpg "Steelers Omar Khan")
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Steelers General Manager Omar Khan hangs out with the fans and signs some autographs in Latrobe, PA during 2023 training camp.
It is difficult to build a team and sustain success at the NFL level. The happiness of the players, cap space, free agency, the NFL Draft, and the trade market are all things that need to be considered going into a new season. One area most teams struggle with is cap space, as players often want extensions and the fans want to see pending free agents return to the roster the following season. Thankfully for all 32 NFL organizations, the NFL's cap space is likely to take another jump in 2025.
During the 2024 season, the cap space each NFL team was allotted by the league was $255.4 million, which was a serious jump from the 2023 season. Now, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, teams should expect to see that number jump by another eight percent.
"The NFL conducted its labor seminar during this week's owners meetings in Irving, Texas," Fowler wrote. "Team officials would have loved to walk away from the session with a set salary cap for 2025, but they didn't get one. That usually comes closer to free agency. Still, a few team officials predicted that the cap would land around $275 million, roughly an 8% increase from the $255.4 million figure in 2024."
This is good news for the Steelers and all 32 organizations across the NFL. Typically, the higher the cap number, the easier it is to build a formidable team. A higher cap number also means that the markets for each position should jump again, so star receivers during the 2025 offseason will receive larger deals than the star wide receivers did during the 2024 offseason, for example.
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Steelers' Russell Wilson and Justin Fields talk while they get warmed up for camp.
The Steelers currently have just over $225 million against the cap for the 2025 season, but that number can always change. Teams can release players at any time to free up space, and restructuring contracts is also an option. Two of the biggest pending free agents on the Steelers roster are the two quarterbacks, Justin Fields and Russell Wilson. Wilson was brought in on a one-year deal during the 2024 offseason, and the Steelers acquired Fields from the Chicago Bears, and then declined his fifth-year option -- making him a free agent after the 2024 season.
There has been a ton of debate amongst the fan base about which quarterback the Steelers should keep past the 2024 season, and it always seemed like the Steelers would have to pick one or the other. However, with the cap space being expected to jump by nearly $20 million in 2025, keeping both quarterbacks past the 2024 season doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility. Each player would have to want to stay in Pittsburgh, which means Fields accepting another season of being a backup, but it is possible.
Steelers Will Have Other Big Decisions To Make On The Offensive Side Of The Ball
Another pending free agent that fans will likely want back in Pittsburgh is Najee Harris. The Steelers declined the former first-round pick's fifth-year option, which came as a bit of a surprise. Harris is on pace to have his fourth consecutive 1,000-yard season, and he has been one of the healthiest running backs in the league since joining the Steelers, as he has not missed a game. Other teams will be after Harris as well as it is shaping up to be Harris' last season in Pittsburgh.
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Steelers' Najee Harris runs the ball against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 3 of the 2024 season.
This will be a difficult decision for the organization, as Harris is definitely worth more now than he was at the start of the year. Jaylen Warren will also be a restricted free agent after the 2024 season, and the organization may prioritize re-signing him as he seems to be the more versatile back.
What do you think the Steelers plan to do this offseason? Let us know in the comments below!
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