Joe Haden a cap casualty?

I have been saying this since the beginning of last season; all the more reason that hopefully Justin Layne sees extended game action. There was a reason he was selected in the third round and did not see any action in Year One sans some Special Teams. A big part of Pittsburgh's future plans moving forward has a lot to do with Layne's final showcasing come Sunday.



Should Justin Layne perform well, that bodes extremely well for the Steelers moving forward. Nevermind not having to worry about drafting a Cornerback high but that gives the team a bit more wiggle room for signing or re-signing players.

 

Then replace him with who, we have a solid corner in haden.
Why the steelers ain't looking for big full back beats me

 

Justin Layne has shown nothing. And I don't feel that one game is going to drive releasing Haden. Just my opinion.

I would let Haden finish his deal he has earned it. Funny the 3 solid corners on this team are all from outside of the organization.

With Dupree off the books as well as AV this should free up a bit although the cap is going down in 2021.

Lots of major decisions coming in 2021

 

Yeah, several of us have been saying this all season. I’d add DeCastro as another player that may need to go.

 

$15 Million against the cap is nothing to scoff at. Even if the likes of Bud and DeCastro, whom I doubt they cut, would get released, what about paying Mike Hilton and T.J. Watt?! They have to get paid as well.


Not enough money to go around. In addition, Justin Layne not panning out throws a continental sized wrench into the draft plans.

 

Can't afford everybody we might like to keep. TJ, Minka going to break bank going forward.
Better hit big on our draft choices.

 

I'd look to Nelson being released. Way too much money for what he does. He's fine but not a guy I want on the other teams number one receiver ever.

 

This is it in a nutshell. The Steelers have put all their chips on the table in 2020. They can’t keep this current roster together, there just isn’t enough money to go around.

With guys like Haden and DeCastro it may be a case of cutting ties a year too early rather than a couple of seasons too late if you extend them.

One guy that must stay imo is Hilton, I really hope they keep him, he will have many suitors in free agency assuming he wants to test the market.

 

The Steelers literally don't have many, if any, options. We're going to lose a ton of strong players in 2021 and it's as simple as that.

 

Hilton will cost too much. Id sign Sutton instead. Hilton may be the better slot corner but the difference in play doesn't justify the difference in cap money.

 

I thought the solid bet was to use the 5th year option on Watt as they work towards his big contract. This would give them modest room to sign guys who have been key performers but not superstars and wait for Ben's money to come off the books.

 

Wrong. Steelers just gave him a new deal. Steelers don't give out deals then cut players. They knew what the cap situation would be like this year. Decastro and Pouncey can go before Haden. Vance McDonald can kick rocks too.

 

You will not find a replacement for Haden for $7MM.

 

Sutton could be cut and we wouldn’t notice a drop off.

 

I know its not practical but I always thought he would make a great safety.
Seems like top 20 rated QBs, Pass Rushers, DBs command a lot of investment....not even being elite which is top 5 imo.

 

Haden signed his last deal in Feb 19, nearly two years ago. The last year was always going to be optional to an extent.

I’d agree that losing him is not ideal, he is the leader in that secondary.

I don’t know what is going to happen but they can’t keep everyone, it’s that simple.

 

My guess is that Watt will sign a mega extension this upcoming off season but the deal won’t really kick in until after his fifth year option in 2021. That will give him the security and guarantees that he wants while minimising the impact in cap terms in 2021.

The cap is likely to rebound strongly in 2022 so they could in theory gamble by signing backloaded deals like this with some of these free agents. It would be very risky however.

 

Can't put the cart before the horse. Need OL (plus an OC that has a clue) to have somewhere for the RBs to go through or its just a waste of time and a draft pick. Anyone who thinks a different back would have made that much of a difference this year, I'll have what you're having for New Years Eve tonight.

 

You could for nelson.

 

Nelson, vince, mcdonald, d.watt gets us 20 mil.. Are Samuels and UG3 and we are near 22 mil..

 

I do not agree, a few gaffes perhaps, but he has filled in well, covering multiple positions. I think the monetary difference between him and Hilton will be that we could sign Sutton and not Hilton. That said once FA dollars start flying you may lose both anyway.

 

I could see this happening, but I do think UG3 is worth keeping around. Not really expensive, health has been an issue, but has shown flashes.