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Teams like the Steelers caught a break when the league announced its salary cap for the 2013 season will be at $123.9 million, instead of the $121 million approximation the public was led to believe heading into the start of the league year March 12.
With recent restructured contracts given to multiple players, and the cap increase, the Steelers are under the $123 million figure, and didn't have to release any players to do it.
With one likely candidate to restructure left, outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley, the Steelers are under the cap if they don't make another move, but there are still lots of moves left to make.
Facing the Steelers immediately in this bonanza of cap space is signing their restricted free agents.
Not all of them will be retained.
It wouldn't be surprising to see Stevenson Sylvester let go, while wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and nose tackle Steve McLendon are likely to remain. The Steelers have a decision to make on running backs Jonathan Dwyer and Isaac Redman, and exclusive-rights free agents Baron Batch and DeMarcus Van Dyke are in the mix as well.
With recent news that Steve Breaston did not sign with the Steelers, one can only speculate the contract Breaston was looking for did not fit in with the Steelers' plans, especially with so many other appealing options available in the draft.
Then, of course, there's the unrestricted free agents. It's sort of strange to even consider Mike Wallace one of those, as no one has expected him to re-sign with the team. Keenan Lewis said he had "a secret" recently, and whether that has anything to do with his contract status remains to be seen. However, it could be an unsigned agreement with the team pending another restructure or a release.
It seems Ramon Foster will be allowed to join Wallace in the free agency market, and the releases of James Harrison and Willie Colon are still possibilities.