The Pittsburgh Steelers have declined their fifth-year option on cornerback Artie Burns, according to Gerry Dulac of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. This means that Burns will become a free agent next offseason.
Had the Steelers exercised Burns' option, it would have cost the team $9.6 million in 2020.
Burns is coming off of a 2018 campaign in which he played all 16 games but was very disappointing, finishing with just 22 tackles and a forced fumble while losing his starting job in the process.
The 24-year-old, who played his collegiate football at the University of Miami, was originally selected by Pittsburgh in the first round (25th pick overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft.
He appeared in all 16 contests during his rookie season, totaling 64 tackles, three interceptions, and 13 passes defended. Then, the following year, Burns started all 16 games and finished with 54 tackles, a pick, a couple of fumble recoveries, and 13 passes defended.
The Steelers have expressed optimism that Burns can work his way back into the rotation in 2019, but, obviously, they are not confident enough in Burns to lock him up for another two years.
Pittsburgh went 9-6-1 this past season, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2013 in spite of a 7-2-1 start. Locker room issues derailed the Steelers in the second half of the year, as conflict between Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown—not to mention the season-long holdout of Le'Veon Bell—caused major internal issues.
Prior to 2018, the Steelers had posted double-digit win seasons four straight years, topping out at 13 victories in 2017.
Pittsburgh is hoping that clearing its locker room of Brown will pay dividends going into next season.
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