Money.
Although a one-word article would be nice to write. I feel a bit of an explanation is warranted. Not only is the answer money, but it might not be ‘money’ in the way Steelers fans think about it.
So what do I mean by money?
As most people know, the Pittsburgh Steelers salary cap situation is not in the best shape at the moment going into the 2021 offseason. The Steelers are still well over the projected salary cap even after the retirements a Vance McDonald and Maurkice Pouncey.
But even if the Steelers were more in the realm of a team like the Jacksonville Jaguars who are currently sitting with over $75 million in cap space, it still wouldn’t be likely that they use the franchise tag in 2021.