In a move that has been uncharacteristic of the organization but is perhaps a reflection of the shifting economical reality, the Pittsburgh Steelers did not offer any of their qualifying players a restricted free agent tender in 2023.
They had four players who qualified, three of whom should have at least been under consideration: backup center J.C. Hassenauer, wide receiver and return specialist Steven Sims, and cornerback James Pierre. Of the three, only Pierre re-signed with the Steelers, the other two signing cheap one-year deals elsewhere.
A year after the Steelers traded for a bottom-of-the-roster wide receiver in Miles Boykin, who was set to play under an elevated fourth-year cap hit, they decided that these players didn’t merit that expense, with even a right-of-first-refusal tender in 2023 coming in at a non-guaranteed $2.