Two Easiest Ways Steelers Can Add Cap Space

Cutting Malik Harrison

Harrison signed a two-year deal worth $10 million with Pittsburgh as a free agent last offseason after spending the first four campaigns of his career elsewhere in the AFC North as a member of the Baltimore Ravens.

He was placed on the reserve/injured list following Week 1 due to a knee injury, however, and would later be activated on November 1.

Harrison ultimately played in 11 games and made nine starts for the Steelers in 2025, logging 41 tackles and seeing the field for 40 percent of the team's defensive snaps when healthy while also serving as a key piece of the special teams unit (54 percent of the reps).

The 28-year-old is a solid run defender, but he's been viewed as a top cut candidate for Pittsburgh since the beginning of the offseason due to the fact that it would save $4.750 million if he were to be released.

That'd be quite a chunk of change for the Steelers, and frankly it shouldn't be too hard to find another linebacker to fill his shoes next to Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, Cole Holcomb and Carson Bruener.

Releasing/Trading Mason Rudolph

Rudolph hasn't lost the backup quarterback job to Will Howard just yet, but it's certainly trending that way.

Unless Howard puts on a disastrous showing during training camp and the preseason, Rudolph is all but a lock to either be cut or traded this summer.

The 30-year-old is a quality veteran with 34 games and 19 starts under his belt who can step in and keep an offense afloat for a few games if necessary, but he simply doesn't have a place in Pittsburgh now that rookie third-rounder Drew Allar is also on the roster next to Howard and Aaron Rodgers.

While it doesn't seem like a ton on paper, the $3 million that the Steelers would recoup in cap space by trading or cutting Rudolph would go a long way towards improving their financial standing during the regular season.