The Pittsburgh Steelers will potentially lose cornerback Joe Haden this off-season, as the veteran has already said he will test the free agent market. This of course all coming after the team chose to not engage with Haden for an extension prior to the beginning of this season.
There has probably never been a time in the modern era that a team released a player of Stephon Gilmore's pedigree mid-season. Teams can't afford to lose top tier players for any reason. Especially one's that they're already going to be on the hook for money-wise. Gilmore's decorated career includes recognition as the 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, a two-time First-team All-Pro, and four trips to the Pro Bowl.
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Now Gilmore has been dealing with a quad injury since he tore it in week 15 of last season. The Patriots placed him on the PUP list during training camp which will keep him out until week 6 is concluded. On top of his quad injury Gilmore wasn't happy with his contract and had approached Patriots brass about a new contract during the off-season. Negotiations led to a dead end and more frustration from Gilmore as he was slated to earn a base salary of only 7 million this season as he entered the final year of his contract. A major factor in all of this is that the Patriots are less than 55,000 away from being over the cap. They didn't have any room at all to maneuver a new deal for Gilmore.
Now you know who has a lot of salary cap left this season, and going into next season? The Steelers. Some of that money disappeared for next season when they signed TJ Watt, but there should still be room for Gilmore if they wanted him and want to sign him long term.
The Steelers could view Gilmore in the same boat as Haden, though. Gilmore is 31 years old and has lots of wear and tear on his body. He's two years removed from his All-Pro season, and only played 11 games last season. He missed 4 games throughout the 2020 season before eventually being placed on injured reserve after week 15.
Another thing working against the Steelers is that Gilmore likely wants to join a contender, and the Steelers have several question marks at this time. Other cornerback needy teams include Super Bowl contenders Tampa Bay, Green Bay, Kansas City, and Baltimore. Those teams, especially Tampa would likely be at the top of the list for Gilmore. Gilmore played with Tom Brady for several seasons, and Brady is a world class recruiter.
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Is he even healthy? Can he still be the same player after a major injury at his age? All of these things are question marks. If Gilmore was a little younger and the Steelers could feel comfortable offering a long term deal then their odds of signing him would be much greater. But what exactly does Gilmore have left? He could potentially fall off a cliff. The move the Patriots made was unprecedented, and they wouldn't of done it if Gilmore was still the best corner in football. Not for the price tag he was already signed under to play this season.
Bottom line it's going to be a long shot for the Steelers to pick up Gilmore. And it would be a huge gamble to sign him to a big contract even if they thought it was a good idea. This team is likely heading for a small (hopefully) re-build. Investing a bunch of money in a question mark mid-season when you're 1-3 is probably the wrong answer.
