Taking a look at the top 10 Pittsburgh Steelers under contract in 2026, NFL salary cap projections and the team’s highest-paid players.
Unfortunately for the Pittsburgh Steelers and their fans, the 2025-26 NFL season went the exact same way as most of their past seasons. After winning the AFC North in a Week 18 thriller over the rival Baltimore Ravens, they subsequently laid an egg in the playoffs and lost in the Wild Card round. There has been plenty of change in Pittsburgh since that loss, with head coach Mike Tomlin stepping away and Mike McCarthy taking his place. With a big offseason ahead of them, the Steelers can’t afford to sit around and be complacent.
Below, we will take a look at the 10 best players that the Pittsburgh Steelers still have under contract for next season. We will also look at NFL salary cap projections and the top cap hits on the team in 2026.
All San Francisco 49ers salary cap data below is accurate as of February 22nd, 2026.
10 Best Pittsburgh Steelers Under Contract in 2026
These are the 10 best players the Pittsburgh Steelers still have under contract for the 2026 season, in the order of their current salary cap hit. For those of you who are wondering, this list is sorted to show their best players overall, not just the players that earn the most money in their contracts.
- TJ Watt, EDGE ($42M)
- DK Metcalf, WR ($31M)
- Alex Highsmith, EDGE ($20.1M)
- Cameron Heyward, DL ($19.2M)
- Jalen Ramsey, CB ($17.2M)
- Patrick Queen, LB ($17.2M)
- Jaylen Warren, RB ($7.2M)
- Chris Boswell, K ($4.7M)
- Darnell Washington, TE ($3.9M)
- Nick Herbig, EDGE ($3.9M)
Highest Pittsburgh Steelers Cap Hits in 2026
As things stand today, here is a list of the 10 highest player hits against the Pittsburgh Steelers’ salary cap in 2026. Contracts can and will be manipulated, and players can be cut or traded as well. In the event of a release, we list a player’s dead cap, which is how much money they would count against the cap if they are cut from the team.
- EDGE TJ Watt, $42M ($94M dead cap)
- WR DK Metcalf, $31M ($49M)
- EDGE Alex Highsmith, $20.1M ($11.2M)
- DL Cameron Heyward, $19.2M ($4.9M)
- CB Jalen Ramsey, $17.2M ($14.6M)
- LB Patrick Queen, $17.2M ($3.9M)
- TE Pat Freiermuth, $11.2M ($6.3M)
- TE Jonnu Smith, $10.9M ($3.9M)
- RB Jaylen Warren, $7M ($4M)
- LB Malik Harrison, $6.8M ($2M)
NFL Salary Cap Projections 2026
The league has informed teams that the 2026 NFL salary cap will be between $301.2 million and $305.7 million per team. Below, we will assume a salary cap of $303.45 million, using data from Spotrac.
| Rk | TM | Current Players | Cap Space | Dead Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TEN | 52 | $97,776,638 | $5,135,657 |
| 2 | LV | 49 | $87,821,212 | $35,238,302 |
| 3 | LAC | 52 | $82,100,325 | $478,183 |
| 4 | NYJ | 51 | $78,990,889 | $88,996,619 |
| 5 | WAS | 52 | $66,506,531 | $12,592,731 |
| 6 | SEA | 57 | $63,421,971 | $483,724 |
| 7 | CIN | 63 | $52,675,496 | $11,248,222 |
| 8 | PIT | 60 | $44,768,173 | $7,934,338 |
| 9 | LAR | 53 | $44,390,412 | $8,570,436 |
| 10 | IND | 60 | $34,952,488 | $2,093,644 |
| 11 | NE | 64 | $34,800,699 | $20,364,345 |
| 12 | ARI | 59 | $32,813,790 | $14,951,854 |
| 13 | ATL | 50 | $26,181,296 | $4,660,354 |
| 14 | DEN | 55 | $26,033,090 | $1,218,922 |
| 15 | BAL | 48 | $22,673,001 | $12,262,715 |
| 16 | SF | 59 | $22,453,414 | $36,327,740 |
| 17 | TB | 52 | $14,479,885 | $253,922 |
| 18 | CAR | 54 | $9,875,093 | $14,607,844 |
| 19 | NYG | 58 | $7,030,099 | $216,988 |
| 20 | PHI | 56 | $3,679,036 | $53,387,574 |
| 21 | MIA | 52 | -$3,699,267 | $73,949,385 |
| 22 | GB | 66 | -$4,344,831 | $17,171,715 |
| 23 | HOU | 54 | -$8,042,142 | $39,318,780 |
| 24 | DET | 49 | -$9,151,960 | $9,287,290 |
| 25 | CHI | 53 | -$9,503,349 | $917,995 |
| 26 | JAX | 61 | -$12,074,552 | $50,977,118 |
| 27 | KC | 54 | -$14,403,869 | $215,642 |
| 28 | BUF | 59 | -$15,187,073 | $30,093,166 |
| 29 | CLE | 55 | -$19,541,898 | $39,763,849 |
| 30 | DAL | 54 | -$25,890,723 | $24,344,178 |
| 31 | MIN | 54 | -$40,632,414 | $5,608,074 |
| 32 | NO | 66 | -$41,774,364 | $90,590,412 |
