The Pittsburgh Steelers have done a tremendous job of rebuilding what was a very bad offensive line. After multiple years of names like Kendrick Green, Mason Cole, Trai Turner, and Chuks Orkorafor being weekly starters, the Steelers hit on several foundational pieces up front via free agency and the NFL Draft.
Pittsburgh signed guard Isaac Seumalo from the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023, and he was named a Pro Bowler in 2024. Pittsburgh then drafted the likes of Broderick Jones, Troy Fautanu, Zach Frazier,
and Mason McCormick across the 2023 and 2024 NFL Draft, respectively, to build one of the best units in the NFL. However, the Steelers now have a decision to make on Jones.
The former first-round pick is entering the final year of his rookie contract. Since he was a first-round pick, Pittsburgh will be given the chance to pick up his fifth-year option or let him test the open market.
The NFL released the price tags for fifth-year option contracts of players drafted in 2023. It has been broken down into four categories: Players selected to two or more Pro Bowls, players selected to one Pro Bowl, players who achieve playtime criterion with no Pro Bowls, and players who do not achieve any criterion. Jones falls into category three, where the price for offensive linemen is $19.072 million.
Jones is recovering from a neck injury that caused him to miss the final six weeks of the 2025 season. Omar Khan was non-committal about the starting left tackle being ready for training camp when talking to the media on Tuesday at the NFL Combine.
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