The Pittsburgh Steelers are signing veteran safety Darnell Savage, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Savage, who turns 29 in July, provides key safety depth Pittsburgh is lacking.
Veteran safety Darnell Savage is signing a one-year deal with the Steelers, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 11, 2026
Contract terms weren’t immediately disclosed, but the deal is likely to be short-term and cheap.
UPDATE (11:45 PM): Per Over the Cap, it’s a one-year deal and classified as a veteran benefit contract. Savage’s base salary will be $1.3 million with a $187,500 signing bonus. His veteran benefit exception creates a lower cap charge for Pittsburgh of just $1.262 million.
Over the Cap has the Darnell Savage contract as a veteran benefit contract with a signing bonus of $187,500. Base salary is $1.3M. Discounted cap charge of $1,262,500 as part of VB. #Steelers #NFL https://t.co/WUY1mwrxVC
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) March 11, 2026
A 2019 first round pick of the Green Bay Packers, missing Mike McCarthy and Patrick Graham by one season, Savage has appeared in 97 games with 83 starts. He’s recorded 371 career tackles (11 for a loss) with 10 interceptions, three forced fumbles, and one sack.
As a rookie, Savage was coached by Jason Simmons, then the Packers’ defensive backs coach and now the Steelers’ defensive pass game coordinator. The two reunited during Savage’s stint with Washington last year. Joe Whitt Jr. now a Steelers’ assistant head coach/secondary coach, served as the Commanders defensive coordinator.
He started his first five NFL seasons and has bounced around since. In 2025, he played for three teams: the Washington Commanders, Buffalo Bills, and Jacksonville Jaguars. Combined, he appeared in 12 games and logged 266 defensive snaps. Savage tallied 18 tackles and one forced fumble.
His most recent role as a full-time starter came in 2024, logging 13 of them for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He recorded 53 tackles and one interception.
Savage will provide depth behind starters Jalen Ramsey and DeShon Elliott. Versatile, he’s able to play either safety spot. Pittsburgh has four pending free agent safeties in Kyle Dugger, Chuck Clark, Miles Killebrew, and Jabrill Peppers. So far, they haven’t signed any of them back. Three of the four names, all but Killebrew, were assembled during various points of the 2025 season, and neither were strong fits as an immediate backup.
Ramsey himself has some uncertainty over his position, nickel corner or free safety, while Elliott is coming off a season-ending knee injury.
Savage has only played minor snaps on special teams, 364 in his career, with 100 of them coming as a rookie.
Pittsburgh hosted Savage on a pre-draft visit ahead of the 2019 NFL Draft. Though decision-makers GM Kevin Colbert and HC Mike Tomlin are no longer with the organization, perhaps that interest played a role in bringing Savage to Pittsburgh seven years later. During the pre-draft process, Savage impressed by running a 4.36 40 with a 39.5-inch vertical at just under 5′-11, 198 pounds.
Savage seems to be the Steelers’ new No. 3 safety, though the team is likely to add a Day One or Day Two pick in the draft. The 2026 safety class is one of the strongest in years.
He’s the fourth external player the team has acquired since the legal tampering began Monday joining CB Jamel Dean, RB Rico Dowdle, and WR Michael Pittman Jr. A report the team agreed to a deal with Dallas Cowboys OL Brock Hoffman was premature, retracted, and refuted.