On the most recent episode of the Steelers Stat Geek podcast, I was tasked with comparing players signed in free agency in terms of the salary cap in recent years. While Patrick Queen is by far the most expensive outside free agent the Steelers have ever signed, when looking at it in terms of the salary cap there is less of a discrepancy. In gathering the data, I also compiled how much the Steelers have spent each of the last 14 seasons on bringing in players from outside the organization in free agency. Based on these numbers, it seems the Steelers are very likely to still make some moves in free agency.

First, to explain the numbers, I used the information in past seasons from Spotrac.com to find the players signed by the Steelers in free agency. Personally filtering out players who had been with the Steelers the season before, I came up with a total for each season. The number used was not the salary cap hit by each player or their cash spent, but instead I used their average per year (APY) salary. This is simply done by taking the total money paid over the life of the contract and dividing it by the number of years for the contract.

It should be noted that the numbers are strictly those from Spotrac. If they did not count the player for some reason, they did not land in my numbers. I did this to stay consistent, but I already know that they are simply a ballpark figure as some players are missing. For example, the 2022 signing of Larry Ogunjobi was not included in their list. At first I thought it might have been because he was added in June, but the previous year they did count Trai Turner who actually signed several days after the calendar date Ogunjobi signed the following season. For this reason, I wanted to bring up that these numbers are not perfect but the best compilation I could get.

Based on the numbers from Spotrac, the Steelers spent more on outside free agents in 2023 than any other season. Spending just over $40 million and equating to 17.8% of the 2023 salary cap, the Steelers added double-digit players from outside the organization. It was an unprecedented season which many attribute to being the first offseason for general manager Omar Khan, but it is not one that stands completely alone.

Interesting enough, the Steelers actually spent a higher percentage of the salary cap the previous season in 2022 when they spent over $39 million on outside free agents which equated to 18.9% of the salary cap. This included the Steelers previous record of the biggest contract signed from outside free agent James Daniels with an $8.83 million APY. It should also be noted that the $8 million contract of Larry Ogunjobi, an addition after Omar Khan took over, was not included in this number or else it would pushed the total well past that of 2023.

Even in the 2021 and 2020 offseasons when both the fear of and the repercussions from the COVID season affected things, as well as having a Hall of Fame quarterback still on the roster, the Steelers still continued to spend $18 million and $12 million respectively. This came to a percentage of 9.9% of the 2021 salary cap and 6.2% of the 2020 salary cap. But after the Steelers were away from the contract of Ben Roethlisberger, they have had a little more freedom to spend a higher percentage.

So with all these numbers setting the context, for 2024 the Steelers have spent just shy of $21 million in free agency based on players APY salaries. It should be noted that this number includes all the current Steelers free agents with the exception of Van Jefferson as his contract has yet to be reported. Even though the $21 million number appears to be significant, it’s actually only 8.2% of the 2024 salary cap. With the Steelers being over 17% of the salary cap the last two seasons, it would be safe to say there is still room for spending without setting a new precidence.

But exactly what kind of spending should Steelers fans expect?

Whilethe Steelers could still make a splash and bring on a large contract in free agency, it might not be the case. Remember, these are free agent signings and not contracts brought on from the Steelers trading for a player. For example, Justin Fields salary is not included in this figure. Were the Steelers to trade for a large contract, it would not affect this number but would greatly affect what they would be able to do due to salary cap constraints. But if the Steelers were to sign a player instead of acquiring them via trade, it would increase this spending percentage.

Another thing to consider is how many players the Steelers add later in free agency with smaller contracts. In 2023, the Steelers added eight players to their roster whose APY were under $1.5 million per season. So although the Steelers could make a splash with another big signing, it’s just as likely they could add a number of small contracts as the offseason rolls on.

While these numbers doesn’t guarantee the Steelers will do anything else in free agency, more importantly it shows the Steelers haven’t broken the bank compared to recent seasons. With several options still on the table for the Steelers to save money against the 2024 salary cap, they are still in the position to add more players from outside the organization to continue to improve their 2024 roster.

To hear these numbers going back to 2011, or about the Steelers largest spending on players in free agency, check out the most recent episode of the Steelers Stat Geek podcast below: