3 Steelers cut candidates entering 2026 offseason

The 2025 season marked the end of an era for the Steelers. Head coach Mike Tomlin retired after the Steelers were soundly defeated by the Houston Texans in the Wild Card round of the AFC playoffs.

The Steelers somehow managed to win the AFC North with a 10-7 record, but there was no area where the Steelers dominated or even demonstrated consistent strength at any point in the year. Tomlin and the Steelers were simply the best team in a very mediocre draw and that’s why they entered the playoffs as division winners.

This is not any kind of put down or insult to Tomlin. He managed to assemble a fairly cohesive team that lacked major talent. The stars were on both sides of the ball in the aging KB Aaron Rodgers and outside linebacker TJ Watt, but the team lacked the ability to sustain its success.

One factor was the overall lack of talent, but there was more, and it was almost certainly the reason Tomlin decided to step down after 19 undefeated seasons as the Steelers’ head coach. He compiled a 193-114-2 regular season record along with an 8-12 record in the postseason. However, the Steelers have not won a playoff game since the 2016 season, losing six straight after reaching the 2016 AFC title game.

The Steelers would miss out on going to the Super Bowl that year after beating Tom Brady and the New England Patriots 36-17.

Tomlin and the Steelers won the Super Bowl in the 2008 postseason in his second year, but would never repeat that feat. The head coach didn’t look at his team and see another Super Bowl appearance, so he stepped down. Now it’s up Mike McCarthy to turn things around.

McCarthy has to reshape the Steelers, but a familiar face should be back

The Steelers will almost certainly have a new look and new energy under McCarthy. Tomlin has seen and done it all with the Steelers, as has any coach who has been in the same location for a decade. The fact that Tomlin stayed another 9 years is pretty miraculous, but his message has gotten a little tired.

McCarthy is coming to a team he grew up idolizing, and that sense of enthusiasm should carry him through the offseason, training camp, and possibly through the first half of the season. After that, it’s about whether his system works well and whether the Steelers play winning football and display a level of dominance not seen in Tomlin’s final seasons.

The Steelers have said they want the 42-year-old Rodgers back, and McCarthy echoed that claim. Rodgers will still have to decide if he can play another season at a highly effective level. Part of his decision may be based on personnel decisions the team makes in the offseason.

Several players almost certainly have to be cut, and we look at 3 players who are unlikely to return in black and gold.

TE Jonna Smith

Smith is a nine-year NFL veteran who played with the Titans, Patriots, Falcons, Dolphins and Steelers. His performance throughout his career was uneven. After the capture 88 passes for 884 yards with 8 touchdowns in 2024 for the Dolphins, the Steelers signed him to a one-year contract as a free agent. The Steelers gave him a A $12 million deal and tried to contribute.

Smith caught 38 passes for 222 yards and 2 TDs, and it was a big failure for the Steelers. It certainly isn’t worth taking it back. It’s possible Smith could have a bounce-back season — he’s done it in the past — but it would be a mistake to give him another shot with the Steelers.

He failed once for the Steelers and bringing the same player back to fail again would be no way to welcome McCarthy to the Steelers.

LB Patrick Queen

Quinn finished his second season with the Steelers and didn’t play like the Pro Bowl player he was in 2023 or ’24. He made his first Pro Bowl in his fourth and final season with the Baltimore Ravens, then signed his two-year, $41 million contract with the Steelers and made his second Pro Bowl.

Quinn was a solid offensive lineman during his 6 years in the NFL. He had 120 tackles last year for the Steelers and 8 tackles for loss. He also had 2 passes defensed and 1 forced fumble.

However, he was not as effective as the year before. He had 129 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 7 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery.

A drop in 2025 means the Steelers would almost certainly be better off going the other way and not bringing Quinn back for a third season in Pittsburgh.

LB Malik Harrison

Harrison signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the Steelers prior to the 2024 season. Similar to Queen, he spent 4 years playing cornerback for the Ravens before joining the Steelers.

He played in 11 games for the Steelers last season and started 9 of them. He had 41 tackles and 2 tackles for loss, and that came a year after posting 54 tackles and 3 tackles for loss. Harrison did not have an interception, pass defense, forced fumble or fumble recovery in either of those 2 seasons with the Steelers.

He was not an impact player and there is no reason to bring him back for a third season. The Steelers need players who can make a difference for their new head coach, and that’s not Harrison.