The Pittsburgh Steelers have had one of the most unusual offseasons in franchise history. The front office was hyper-aggressive adding players via free agency and in trades. The team has also handed out its two largest contracts in franchise history. Last week, Pittsburgh made edge defender T.J. Watt the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, and when they signed wide receiver DK Metcalf to the largest free-agent contract the team ever paid to a street free agent.
Despite all this spending, the Steelers still have $17.654 million in cap space just days away from the start of free agency. We expect at least one more signing before players report to camp on Thursday. Here are the Steelers six biggest cap hits heading into camp to highlight just how much this front office focused on the defensive side of the football.
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1 – EDGE T.J. Watt
Watt’s cap hit for 2025 is $23.368 million and his $41 million cap hit doesn’t start until 2026.
2 – DT Cameron Heyward
Heyward continues to perform at a high level, and his $19.65 million cap hit feels like a bargain.
3 – CB Jalen Ramsey
$19 million is a huge investment for a comeback on the backside of his career and was the riskiest move of the offseason.
4 – EDGE Alex Highsmith
Highsmith parlayed one big season into a huge contract that makes his cap hit for 2024 $18.6 million.
5 – LB Patrick Queen
Queen came to the Steelers last season and signed a huge free-agent deal that is paying him $17.69 million this season.
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6 – QB Aaron Rodgers
We had to get to six before we landed on offense. Rodgers’ one-year contract with the Steelers has a cap number of $14.15 million on a one-year rental.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: 6 biggest Steelers salary-cap hits for 2025