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3 Steelers Contracts That Are Untradable

By Tristan Jung

Three contracts that the Pittsburgh Steelers won't be able to trade away.
Three contracts that the Pittsburgh Steelers won't be able to trade away. / Rob Carr/Getty Images
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The Pittsburgh Steelers are almost completely capped out. They currently rank 29th in available cap space as of June 2020, and there is very little they can do to alleviate that situation.

So, why are the Steelers out of cap space despite failing to make the playoffs last season? Well, they have doled out huge extensions to the key members of previous teams, and the bills are coming due. Here are three Steelers contracts that are completely untradable.

1. QB Ben Roethlisberger: 2 years, $68 million

Ben Roethlisberger spent most of 2019 on the sidelines due to injury.
Ben Roethlisberger spent most of 2019 on the sidelines due to injury. / Kirk Irwin/Getty Images

The Steelers had to give Ben Roethlisberger a big extension after 2018, especially after another phenomenal season statistically where he led the league in passing yards. Unfortunately, quarterbacks in their late 30s are not known for being healthy, and Roethlisberger missed 14 games in 2019 due to an elbow injury. While Roethlisberger is one of the best quarterbacks in football when healthy, even at age 38, his massive contract makes him completely untradeable. The restructured deal that now moves a large part of his signing bonus to 2021 makes it even more difficult. No team would be willing to take on this amount of risk for Roethlisberger at this time.

2. C Maurkice Pouncey: 2 years, $22 million

Maurkice Pouncey was signed as the highest-paid center in the NFL in 2019.
Maurkice Pouncey was signed as the highest-paid center in the NFL in 2019. / Sarah Stier/Getty Images

Maurkice Pouncey became the highest-paid center in the NFL over the 2019 offseason, but his contract is already untradeable. The Steelers had signed him to a three-year, $33 million contract, but they've already restructured it to provide them more flexibility in 2020. However, Pouncey did not play up to his usual standards in 2019 and missed two games due to suspension. It would be hard to see any team taking on Pouncey's contract without additional compensation coming their way.

3. TE Eric Ebron: 2 years, $12 million

Eric Ebron signed with the Steelers over the offseason.
Eric Ebron signed with the Steelers over the offseason. / Michael Hickey/Getty Images

It may seem strange that a contract that was signed in the 2020 offseason is untradable, but that is the case for Eric Ebron's two-year, $12 million deal with Pittsburgh. For one, Ebron is coming off major ankle surgery and has only started 19 games over the last three seasons. While Ebron is a talented tight end and has upside, his production has been notoriously inconsistent. Ebron is also on a backloaded contract that will count for $8.5 million against the cap next season if a team keeps him. That risk makes it virtually impossible for the Steelers to trade Ebron, at least for now.

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Tristan Jung is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Tristan Jung also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username tristan1117. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.