DeShon Elliot, Steelers Agree to a Two-Year Contract Extension
Steelers fans got some good news to start off the week as Tom Pelissero and the NFL Network reported, yesterday, that the Steelers and S DeShon Elliot have agreed to a two-year, $12.5M contract extension, tying him to Pittsburgh through the 2027 season.
The Steelers run defense, or rather their entire defense, really tailed off at the end of last season. DeShon Elliot, however, wasn't a part of the problem. In fact, I believe he can play a significant role in the solution. Omar Khan and Mike Tomlin clearly agree, and it’s nice to see them get out ahead of Elliot’s expiring contract, and eliminate what would’ve been a need at safety in the 2026 NFL Draft.
When the Steelers signed DeShon Elliot last year, the tape he put out with the Miami Dolphins told me that he’d be a good Yin to Minkah Fitzpatrick’s Yang on the back end of the Steelers defense. I never imagined he would go on to solidify his spot as one of the best box safeties in the NFL, accounting for 108 total tackles, 2 forced fumbles, and 3 fumble recoveries in 2024. According to Derrick Bell from Steelers Now, Elliot’s extension makes him the 30th highest paid safety in the league, which is tremendous value for a guy that performs the way he does on the football field, and also says all the right things about carrying the torch for all the great Steelers that came before him. He belongs in the black and gold, and I’m glad he will be for (at least) the next few years. T.J. Watt and Calvin Austin III loom ominously in the distance awaiting extensions of their own. Let’s hope Omar Khan is hard at work as we speak.
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