Steelers Not Likely To Re-Sign James Daniels In 2025 Opening The Door For 2024 Draft Pick

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been busy the last two offseasons working to retool one of the league's worst offensive lines into one of its most consistent. A year after the line was relatively healthy during the season, General Manager Omar Khan and Head Coach Mike Tomlin recommitted to adding more youth and talent to the room. After adding Broderick Jones in 2023, Khan added tackle Troy Fautanu, center Zach Frazier, and guard Mason McCormick in 2024. Though Fautanu and Frazier are expected to make the most immediate impact, it may turn out McCormick was the most important piece of the draft.

During his weekly sports chat, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette discussed the addition of McCormick and his impact on the future of current starter James Daniels, who enters into the final year of his contract.

"[Daniels] is a free agent after the season and I'm not expecting them to re-sign him. But he has played very well."

Daniels was the splash signing by the Steelers during the 2022 offseason, where he signed a three-year $26.5 million deal with the team. Daniels has been a model of consistency not only with the Steelers, but with the Chicago Bears as well who drafted him with the 39th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. The Steelers used Daniels' signing as a focal point on the line, and added talent around him to make the offense as a whole more complete. 

Though the Steelers are slated to have over $100 million in cap space next year, the focus this offseason may have been to prepare for the next offseason. With players such as Pat Freiermuth and Jaylen Warren headed into the final year of their contracts, and likely to command big paydays, the Steelers may not be able to re-sign Daniels to an extension and could look internally for a solution. 

Steelers Continue to Steal in the Draft

For the most part, it's been Payton Wilson who has been getting the credit of the biggest steal in the draft by Pittsburgh. However, with the impending departure of perhaps the best offensive lineman on the Steelers, that steal may be Mason McCormick.

McCormick is 6-5, 315lbs, and studied construction management at South Dakota State where he set a school record of consecutive starts at 57 games. McCormick was born to be a Steeler, and it shows. His tenacity and desire to hit people shows on tape and was a reason he was consistently named to several All-American teams. He was also named the FCS Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2023. The biggest knock on him could be the level of competition he played at South Dakota State, but the team who drafted him is the perfect place for him to become NFL ready. 

With Daniels likely to depart, McCormick sliding into a starting role in 2025 is a strong possibility. McCormick can compete for a starting job this season as well, and if he doesn't beat out Daniels or Isaac Seumalo at left guard, he can sit and learn Arthur Smith's system on the sidelines before coming in to compete in 2025. If the Steelers are able to find a starting caliber guard in the fourth round of the draft, and have a full year to develop him, then not only did they check off a need for next season, but they can maintain the continuity in the room that was so valuable a season ago. 

Letting a player of Daniels' caliber go isn't a knock on how he played for the Steelers, but may be a nod of confidence in McCormick and the youth movement beginning in the trenches of Pittsburgh.

Should the Steelers let Daniels walk at the end of the season?