Ben Roethlisberger will be gone from the Steelers in 2022, but that doesn’t mean he won’t have an impact on the roster.
And T.J. Watt, who had a major influence on the team after tying the NFL record for sacks in a season, will have an even bigger impact in 2022.
Both players will be factors in how the Steelers approach free agency during the offseason because of the effect they will have on the team’s salary cap in 2022.
Even though Roethlisberger’s contract expires at the end of the month, he will still count for $10.3 million against their cap in 2022 because the Steelers added four voidable years when they restructured his contract after the 2021 season. That was done to spread his signing bonus through the 2025 season. But, because he is retiring, those voidable years come due this year.
But Roethlisberger isn’t the only player whose dead money will impact the team.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, who is an unrestricted free agent, will count $5.6 million even if he signs with another team because, like Roethlisberger, he had four voidable years added to the one-year, $9 million contract he signed before the season. Smith-Schuster could re-sign with the Steelers — and the chances are good he will — but that will only raise his cap hit.
Tight end Eric Ebron, who is an unrestricted free agent and will not be re-signed, is in the same boat. He will count $3.9 million in 2022, which is the total of the four voidable years that were added when he restructured his contract before the season.
Those three players will count nearly $20 million against the cap next season, even though they don’t have a contract in 2022.
But the biggest impact will come from Watt — in more ways than one. His cap hit will jump from $8.1 million this season to $31.1 million in 2022 after signing his monster five-year, $122 million deal before the season. If the Steelers do not restructure Watt’s contract — a common practice with players with big cap numbers — it will be the biggest hit ever on their salary cap, surpassing the $26.6 million Roethlisberger counted in 2019.
However, the good news for the Steelers and other NFL teams is the salary cap is expected to rise in 2022 to $208.2, the maximum figure agreed upon by the league and the players association. That is an increase of more than $25 million from this season’s deflated salary cap, which dropped to $182.5 million because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Steelers shouldn’t have the salary-cap issues they did after the 2021 season when they had to cut cornerback Steven Nelson and couldn’t even think about re-signing starters Matt Feiler, Al Villanueva, James Conner, Mike Hilton and Bud Dupree. According to overthecap.com, a website that tracks NFL salaries, the Steelers are approximately $41.9 million under the 2022 projected salary cap.
But they still will have some tough decisions to make.
In addition to Watt, they will have three high-priced players on a defense that struggled most of the season. Defensive end Cam Heyward will count for $17.4 million, Stephon Tuitt will count for $13.97 million and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick will count for $10.6 million, even if he does sign a big contract extension, as expected. But they will be rid of cornerback Joe Haden’s contract that cost them $15.5 million this season, though they could re-sign him to much lesser deal.
Still, there are other areas where they can — and likely will — save money.
Inside linebacker Joe Schobert is scheduled to count for $9.7 million in 2022, a big amount for a player who was being alternated with backup Robert Spillane late in the season. Tackle Zach Banner, who appeared for only five snaps this season coming back from ACL surgery, will count for $6.6 million. And fullback Derek Watt, who played only 86 offensive snaps as the second-highest paid fullback in the league, will count for $4.7 million. That’s $21 million for three players who made little contribution in 2021.
That would help the Steelers have even more available cap space to sign some of the unrestricted free agents they will need to bolster their lines of scrimmage.
Gerry Dulac: gdulac@post-gazette.com and Twitter @gerrydulac.
First Published: January 18, 2022, 1:47 p.m.