No Mike Tomlin. No high-end facilities. No Super Bowl contention. So what is the Pittsburgh Steelers’ big free-agency selling point? That’s the question the franchise will wrestle with this free agency and all the rest until there’s a drastic change.
Thursday’s leaked report cards affirmed this reality. Despite the NFL’s best efforts to muzzle the NFLPA’s annual release, ESPN reported all 32 team grades. A predictable outcome given the union still wants the information out there and could find a back channel to get it published.
Again, Pittsburgh was crushed. The Steelers ranked 32nd league-wide with more last-place finishes in specific categories (travel, locker room, and the field) than top-ten rankings.
The team’s best two grades, the only ones to climb into the A’s, came from head coach Mike Tomlin and special teams coordinator Danny Smith. Two men who are no longer coaching the team. Tomlin resigned, and Smith took the same job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
So how does this team sell itself to free agents? What attractive traits can Pittsburgh offer that another franchise can’t? They’re getting harder to find.
Money, of course, is always the great equalizer. Many players will sign with the highest bidder. Pittsburgh’s shown more aggression in free agency than years past, but the team still isn’t known as a major spender on the open market. Patrick Queen’s $41 million deal at nearly $14 million per year remains the largest of any external free agent in league history. All of last year’s big deals, like WR DK Metcalf, came via trades where the market is a little tighter.
Tomlin had been the answer. Players wanted to play for him. He was the sole name consistently ranking well in the NFLPA’s report cards, and he could sell the vision well. Regarded as honest and transparent, qualities not every coach has, he was often enough to get a deal over the finish line. That didn’t mean every player signed just for him, nor does it mean every player held him in the highest regard. But he was a popular coach and could get players excited over the idea of Pittsburgh.
Now? Can Mike McCarthy do the same? He’s a well-known veteran coach, which may be an advantage over a first-timer. But it’s hard to see him having the same je ne sais quoi Tomlin had in spades.
What else can Pittsburgh offer? The Steelers aren’t Super Bowl contenders. It’s fair to wonder if Tomlin was the key to holding the franchise’s head above water. His reputation for never having a losing season was a tiresome stat, but one that could matter to a prospective player who hadn’t even been in the playoff race. Though acquired via trade, CB Donte Jackson was downright giddy about joining the Steelers and the chance to compete after experiencing six-straight losing seasons with the Carolina Panthers. That’s just one example.
Pittsburgh’s winters suck. There’s state income tax. Ownership has an ugly, cheap reputation. The facility is bottom-tier. The list of cons is longer than the pros.
There are still angles the team can play up. A new coaching staff might inspire hope. The Steelers still have a storied history that a sliver of players might appreciate. Defenders can appreciate the team’s reputation and focus on defense. Offensive players might be sparked to work with McCarthy and an offense that should be more potent than it’s been in ages.
Pittsburgh will sign free agents. Multiple of them. Hopefully, some quality ones, maybe. Free agency isn’t the only place to build a roster. The Steelers’ biggest problem of the last decade has been inconsistent drafting, an area that used to be extreme strength. Pittsburgh’s miss rate has jumped and it’s home run rate has sunk, though things have improved under Omar Khan.
Free agency isn’t the only way to But getting a player to put ink to paper might be as hard as ever. If the Steelers are competing with another team with an equal financial offer, it won’t be surprising if players choose elsewhere.
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