Steelers release William Jackson III, as expected

Entering the start of NFL Free Agency next week, the Pittsburgh Steelers were just over $1 million dollars over the salary cap. With the need to create the necessary space to become cap compliant before the start of the new league year at 4 p.m. ET on March 15th, the Steelers did so with just one move. The move everyone expected.

The release of cornerback William Jackson III.

This from the Steelers official website:

The release of Jackson creates $12 million dollars of salary cap space for the Steelers, which is more than enough to become cap compliant and also have the ability to sign free agents in the coming days. As for Platel, he was not in the top 51 salaries, so his release has no effect on the cap.

Jackson didn’t play a single snap since being signed by the Steelers via trade with the Washington Commanders. Jackson dealt with a back injury which ended up on him being placed on, and staying on, Injured Reserve (IR) for the duration of the season.

Will the Steelers consider re-signing Jackson on a more team-friendly deal? If he is healthy, he is the type of cornerback Mike Tomlin would love to have. Steelers fans likely remember how interested the Steelers were in Jackson when he was coming out of the University of Houston, before he was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals with the pick before them. Instead, the Steelers signed Artie Burns out of the University of Miami.

With the team creating salary cap space, they now have the financial freedom to make moves as early as Monday when the two-day legal tampering period begins. In the meantime, be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the rest of the NFL offseason.

This was discussed further on the Wednesday episode of the “Let’s Ride” podcast. Check it out in the player below: