Steelers Won't Make The Same Massive Mistake The Ravens Made

The Pittsburgh Steelers have made it clear since Omar Khan and Andy Weidl took over the front office that building through the trenches is a top priority. Since the 2023 NFL Draft, Pittsburgh has consistently invested in improving both sides of the line of scrimmage, especially along the offensive line.

So far, that strategy has started to pay off. The Steelers have found a strong combination of early-round talent and later-round steals, with players like Mason McCormick, a fourth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, showing that this front office has done a great job finding value throughout the draft.

But after the 2026 season, Pittsburgh will face a major decision as several young offensive linemen become eligible for new contracts. One player who could be at the center of that conversation is Zach Frazier, who has quickly established himself as a key piece of the Steelers' future.

The Steelers just watched their AFC North rivals, the Baltimore Ravens, face a difficult decision with their own young star center, Tyler Linderbaum. Linderbaum, a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, has developed into one of the top centers in football. According to Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s North Shore Drive podcast, he does not believe Pittsburgh will make the same mistake when it comes to paying Frazier and risking the loss of another young cornerstone.

"Yeah, I mean, he’s been really good," Fittipaldo said. "Again, he hasn't earned All-Pro or Pro Bowl status yet, but I think that could be coming down the road. I consider him right now a top 10 center in this league."

Linderbaum ended up not getting a new deal with the Ravens in the 2026 offseason. He then signed a record-breaking contract with the Las Vegas Raiders worth $27 million per season, comfortably making him the highest-paid interior offensive lineman in NFL history. The contract includes $60 million in total guarantees. 

Fittipaldo doesn't expect the Steelers to make that same mistake and allow their young center to walk.

"You know the way these contracts work, if you are a young guy and an up-and-comer, yeah, you will probably look at getting top-five type of money," Fittipaldo said. "I think that's the position Frazier and his reps will have. And it won't be cheap. Look at what Linderbaum got last year. The Baltimore Ravens kind of balked at that, and he said, 'Okay, I'll go make that somewhere else.' Frazier will have similar options, and he's a guy that's still ascending, so I think it'll be smart for the Steelers to get that out of the way pretty quickly next spring before that center market goes off the rails again. When the Steelers get their center, typically they don't have any issues paying them. Yeah, they will shell out that money."

Khan made it clear from his first draft as Steelers general manager that rebuilding the offensive line was a priority, trading up to select offensive tackle Broderick Jones in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. 

While Jones has not developed into the player Pittsburgh hoped he would become just yet, the Steelers have continued adding promising young talent to the trenches.

Steelers Have A Costly Decision Coming With Their Rising Offensive Line Core

Players like Troy Fautanu and Frazier represent the next wave of rising stars on the offensive line, while McCormick has also emerged as an important piece of the Steelers' future. As these young players continue to develop, they will all eventually be looking for new contracts.

It will be interesting to see how Khan handles opening up the checkbook while trying to keep this young and promising core together. Balancing rewarding key players while navigating the financial side of the NFL is what makes roster building so complicated.

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