With NFL free agency less than a week away, a number of franchises are making drastic changes to their rosters. Whether it be through trades or releases, many teams will look much different in 2018.
For the Pittsburgh Steelers, many of the headlines have centered around their contract negotiations with star running back Le'Veon Bell. For the second straight season, the All-Pro back has been franchise tagged. There's some optimism about a long-term extension, but it's far from a foregone conclusion.
On the defensive side of the ball, the changes began in the 2017 regular season with the release of James Harrison. Now, the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport is reporting that they'll release long-term starting safety Mike Mitchell next week.
The #Steelers are expected to release Mike Mitchell next week, source said. With a $5M salary, they are up against it with the cap. They are open to bringing him back at a lower rate, though. https://t.co/BlspGl4ozY
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 9, 2018
Rapoport's tweet came in response to this one from Mitchell:
It is what it is.
— Mike Mitchell (@iammikemitchell) March 9, 2018
The $5 million is significant for the Steelers (he also has a cap charge of $8.1 million), and as Rapoport notes, this isn't necessarily the end of Mitchell's tenure in Pittsburgh if he's willing to take on a lower salary. With all of the secondary-starved teams around the NFL, that might be unlikely.
In four seasons with the Steelers, Mitchell has started in all but four regular season games while missing only three (he started every game from 2014 to 2016). Yet, his popularity in the Steelers' fanbase is far from high. If he ends up walking in free agency, there won't be a lot of angry yinzers.
Perhaps Mitchell isn't worth that high cap hit for the Steelers, but they must assess the other assets available on the market. If they can't afford anything better, they could regret losing a fixture of their defense.
