On the heels of the Pittsburgh Steelers agreeing to terms with free agent S Jaquan Brister on Thursday, I’m sure there are probably several reading this that are wondering if the team might be thinking about moving on from veteran DB Jalen Ramsey now.

While I certainly don’t know for sure if the Steelers are planning to retain Ramsey this offseason, I will tell all of you reading this post that Friday is a big day for him when it comes to the team’s vested commitment to him.

Ramsey’s 2026 contract year calls for him to receive a $2 million roster bonus on Friday, March 13. Additionally, $3.5 million of Ramsey’s $10 million base salary also becomes fully guaranteed on Friday as well.

In short, if Ramsey is still on the Steelers’ roster by 4:00 P.M. ET on Friday, the Steelers will have a $5.5 million commitment to him moving forward into the offseason. For whatever it’s worth, Ramsey’s contract also calls for a $100,000 workout bonus this offseason.

While there certainly haven’t been any signs that the Steelers are planning to move on from Ramsey this offseason, cutting Ramsey before 4:00 P.M. ET on Friday would wind up saving the team $19.5 million in total cash for the 2026 season. Remember, Ramsey also has a $7.4 million option bonus proration decision due later in the offseason, August 31.

Cutting Ramsey on Friday would create $14.596 million in dead money. However, I would guess that the Steelers might designate him as a post-June 1 cut so that most of that dead money could be pushed off until 2027.

That route would result in a dead money charge in 2026 of $3.649 million with the remaining $10.947 million in dead money rolling over into 2027. Designating Ramsey a post-June 1 cut, however, would require the Steelers to carry his full salary cap charge up until that date.

One must really wonder if the Steelers believe that Ramsey is worth $19.5 million for the 2026 season.

It’s an exceptionally good question to ask right now. After all, Ramsey will turn 32 in October and obviously his best years are probably behind him at this point.

Last year during the regular season, Ramsey recorded 88 total tackles, four for loss, eight passes defensed, and one interception. He also logged most of his defensive snaps in 2025 at either safety or in the slot. Only 157 snaps during the 2025 regular season came with him as an outside cornerback. For his NFL career, Ramsey has never registered more than four interceptions in a single regular season.

Since the 2026 free agency signing period got underway, the Steelers have signed CB Jamel Dean, S Darnell Savage and Brisker, a versatile safety. The team has also now re-signed CB Asante Samuel Jr. and they expect to have S DeShon Elliott back healthy in 2026 as well. On top of that, CB Brandin Echols is still on the roster after being signed during free agency last offseason.

Obviously, Joey Porter Jr. is the team’s top cornerback again this season. Just for completeness, Cory Trice Jr., Donte Kent, Sebastian Castro, Daequan Hardy, D’Shawn Jamison, Jack Henderson, and Doneiko Slaughter are the other defensive backs currently under contract with the team.

This year’s draft class also seems to be a great one when it comes to the safety position so that’s something else to consider and especially if Ramsey winds up being jettisoned on Friday.

I’m sure several reading this post might wonder if there’s a chance the Steelers could trade Ramsey as early as Friday. While I think trading him is a plausible notion, I would imagine the Steelers might be asked to retain some of 2026 pay as part of any deal. That’s usually something the Steelers don’t do and haven’t done for a long, long time.

At the very least, the Steelers probably wouldn’t get much in the way of trade compensation for Ramsey if indeed they found a team willing to deal for him.

Do I think Ramsey will ultimately be jettisoned in some way, shape, or form on Friday? No, not really. With that said, however, I would not bet my house on such an answer. In short, I won’t be stunned if Ramsey is gone on Friday and mainly because he is due $19.5 million in 2026, which to me, seems a lot more than his true value.

In closing, we’ll really know how the Steelers feel about Ramsey for the 2026 season by 4:00 P.M. ET on Friday.

If he’s still under contract past that time, the odds that he’ll be part of the Steelers’ 2026 defense will improve drastically.