Watt and Metcalf Tie Up 24% of the Steelers Salary Cap in 2026
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ salary cap hits for 2026 find two players combining for over 24% of the team’s cap space. T.J. Watt has a $42 million cap hit, and D.K. Metcalf is on the books for $31 million this season.
The NFL Salary Cap for the 2026 season rose to an all-time high of $301.2 million. This is an increase of $22 million from the 2025 season. The NFL’s salary cap has increased by nearly $46 million in the last two seasons.
The salary cap hit is a combination of salary, signing bonus money, and roster and workout bonuses. Salary counts in the year it was paid. Roster and workout bonuses count for the season in which they are earned. Signing bonuses can be divided equally among the years of the contract, up to five years. A big downfall of this bonus money is that if a player is waived or traded, any remaining bonus money that has not yet counted against the cap immediately accelerates to the team’s cap for the current season. This is commonly referred to as ‘dead money.’
Top Pittsburgh Steelers Salary Cap Hits
(Steelers among the NFL’s top 500 in 2026 salary)
NAME TEAM Position Salary Cap Hit % of Cap ($301.2M)
T.J. Watt Pittsburgh Steelers EDGE $42,000,000 13.94%
D.K. Metcalf Pittsburgh Steelers Wide Receiver $31,000,000 10.29%
Aaron Rodgers Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback $22,500,000 7.47%
Alex Highsmith Pittsburgh Steelers EDGE/Outside Linebacker $20,102,000 6.67%
Jalen Ramsey Pittsburgh Steelers Cornerback $17,229,000 5.72%
Patrick Queen Pittsburgh Steelers Inside Linebacker $17,193,334 5.71%
Cameron Heyward Pittsburgh Steelers DL/DE $13,675,000 4.54%
Michael Pittman Jr. Pittsburgh Steelers Wide Receiver $8,866,666 2.94%
Jaylen Warren Pittsburgh Steelers Running Back $7,033,333 2.34%
Pat Freiermuth Pittsburgh Steelers Tight End $6,943,333 2.31%
Malik Harrison Pittsburgh Steelers Inside Linebacker $6,790,000 2.25%
Deshon Elliott Pittsburgh Steelers Safety $6,080,000 2.02%
Jamel Dean Pittsburgh Steelers Cornerback $5,500,000 1.83%
Jaquan Brisker Pittsburgh Steelers Safety $5,500,000 1.83%
Nick Herbig Pittsburgh Steelers EDGE/Outside Linebacker $5,427,430 1.80%
Broderick Jones Pittsburgh Steelers Left Tackle $5,290,207 1.76%
Joey Porter Jr. Pittsburgh Steelers Cornerback $4,922,790 1.63%
Chris Boswell Pittsburgh Steelers Kicker $4,900,000 1.63%
Mason Rudolph Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback $4,622,500 1.53%
Pittsburgh has a roster that is carefully crafted in the management of the salary cap, with two players taking up 24% of the team’s Cap Space this season. The Steelers are a little over $15 million under the cap heading into the start of the season, but then it skyrockets to over $15 million over the cap in 2027.
Aug 13, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith watches the action against the Green Bay Packers during the first half at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
Pittsburgh has a pair of decisions that will impact next season’s cap in a big way, and they are on a pair of key defensive pieces. The first is whether the team can agree on a contract extension for cornerback Joey Porter Jr., in the final season of his rookie contract. Porter is estimated to be in line for a contract worth over $23 million per season. The second is linebacker Patrick Queen, who will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. Queen is estimated to make around $12 million in 2027.
NFL Salary Cap for the 2017-2026 seasons
Top Pittsburgh Steelers Salary Cap Hits: Total Guaranteed Money in 2026
Pittsburgh Steelers Contracts
Pos Practical Guarantee
T.J. Watt ED $108,000,000
D.K. Metcalf WR $60,000,000
Nick Herbig ED $42,000,000
Alex Highsmith ED $27,743,000
Michael Pittman Jr. WR $24,000,000
Aaron Rodgers QB $22,000,000
Max Iheanachor RT $20,692,386
Darnell Washington TE $20,250,000
Jalen Ramsey CB $19,500,000
Derrick Harmon DL $17,973,604
Broderick Jones RT $16,626,352
Cameron Heyward DL $16,250,000
Troy Fautanu LT $15,055,296
Chris Boswell K $14,700,000
Patrick Queen LB $13,840,000
Jamel Dean CB $12,000,000
Pat Freiermuth TE $11,600,000
Germie Bernard WR $10,544,878
Joey Porter Jr. CB $8,999,868
Deshon Elliott S $7,170,000
Jaylen Warren RB $7,050,000
Zach Frazier C $5,039,272
Rico Dowdle RB $5,000,000
Sebastian Joseph DL $4,700,000
Jaquan Brisker S $4,285,000
Keeanu Benton DL $4,279,836
Malik Harrison LB $4,080,000
Mason Rudolph QB $3,000,000
Asante Samuel Jr. CB $2,785,000
Brandin Echols CB $1,830,000
Drew Allar QB $1,626,120
Daylen Everette CB $1,478,540
Gennings Dunker G $1,351,884
Kaleb Johnson RB $1,274,228
Kaden Wetjen WR $1,126,916
Ben Skowronek WR $1,080,000
Roman Wilson WR $998,304
Jack Sawyer DL $950,932
Payton Wilson LB $890,044
Mason McCormick G $764,896
Brock Hoffman C $750,000
Cole Holcomb LB $625,000
Riley Nowakowski TE $443,260
Yahya Black DL $379,836
Christian Kuntz LS $325,000
Will Howard QB $248,100
Gabriel Rubio DL $246,888
Logan Lee DL $220,072
Darnell Savage S $187,500
Esezi Otomewo DL $187,500
Jack Driscoll G $187,500
Robert Spears-Jennings S $163,928
Eli Heidenreich RB $155,988
Carson Bruener LB $136,940
Donte Kent CB $133,452
Spencer Anderson G $77,776
Ryan McCollum C $75,000
Kevin Jobity DL $30,000
Devan Boykin CB $25,000
Lake McRee TE $25,000
Laith Marjan K $15,000
Greg Crippen C $2,000
Aug 27, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen (6) passes the ball under pressure from Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Kevin Jobity (92) during the fourth quarter at New Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
The Last Word
The Steelers are in position for a strong playoff run with what should be a standout defense and an offense that could explode in Aaron Rodgers’ final season. D.K. Metcalf is a tough matchup for defenses, and this should be another season of one-score wins for Pittsburgh. Questions about the future of the team remain, with decisions about Joey Porter Jr. and Patrick Queen looming.
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