Pittsburgh Steelers safety DeShon Elliott is officially staying with the team for the foreseeable future after they gave him a two-year extension, keeping him under contract through the 2027 season.
Elliott’s new deal will be a two-year, $12.5 million deal with $9.21 million in guaranteed money. It keeps under contract through the 2027 season, meaning Elliott will likely see most of those years.
Overall, paired with his current year on the two-year, $6 million contract he signed last offseason, Elliott’s three seasons on the deal will pay him $15.5 million.
Elliott reacted to his new contract Tuesday afternoon, stating he is thankful to be part of the Steelers’ organization.
"Grateful to the Rooney family, Omar Khan, and Coach Tomlin for bringing me to Pittsburgh and giving me a home. Thankful to be extended for two more years to play for the best organization and in front of the best fans in the NFL,’ Elliott wrote.
Elliott’s first season with the Steelers was fantastic next to Minkah Fitzpatrick. Now, he has secured his long-term spot as the team’s strong safety. Elliott will be the 30th highest-paidmade safety in the NFL with the deal.
During that season, Elliott made NFL history with his tackling efficiency numbers, which is one of the key reasons he landed the deal.
According to Next Gen Stats, Elliott made 108 of his 111 tackle opportunities, which puts him at a ridiculous 97.3% tackle efficiency.
Since Next Gen Stats started tracking such a thing, no one has posted such efficiency at that volume. Next Gen Stats started tracking those tackle chances in 2018, and of defenders with more than 100 tackle opportunities, Elliott posted the highest tackling efficiency in the history of the metric.
On top of that, Elliott led all strong safeties in run defense grade this season according to Pro Football Focus. He scored a 91.3 grade throughout the season. Elliott, who had played further off the line in Vic Fangio’s Cover 2 heavy defense in 2023, was able to showcase his run-stuffing ability in the box role the Steelers use.
In 2024, Elliott had an interception and allowed just a 58.3 passer rating when targeted by opposing quarterbacks. Now, he gets to stay with Pittsburgh for the next three seasons after an excellent start to his tenure with the team.