NFL insider notes Steelers have cap space for major free agent signing

When it comes to hypothetical major Pittsburgh Steelers roster moves this summer, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk dominates the list.

Vinnie Iyer of The Sporting News, for example, featured the Steelers prominently on a list of sensible fits for Aiyuk after the star demanded a trade.

Tucked neatly in there, though, was a nod to Pittsburgh’s current cap situation.

“The Steelers have around $15 million in salary cap space so the money works out in the short term,” Iyer wrote. “The bigger challenge is making that fit work long-term since the team would need to extend Aiyuk to his liking.”

Should the Steelers not want to sacrifice other assets in a trade for Aiyuk and surrender a chunk of cap space for years on a big extension, spending in the short-term via free agency could always be an option.

That $15 million or so, beyond injury insurance and the like, could always go toward a free-agent wideout such as wideouts Michael Thomas or even Hunter Renfrow. Or maybe the Steelers could surprise and pursue names on the opposite side of the ball, such as corners Xavien Howard or Stephon Gilmore, to combat an AFC North that fields names like Ja’Marr Chase and Amari Cooper, to name a few.

Either way, that point about cap space sticks out. If the Steelers want to shed a conservative shell, there’s enough cap wiggle room to make a splash this summer.