With mere hours to go before the legal tampering period, the Pittsburgh Steelers have yet to sign any of their own pending free agents. They will likely continue to try and bring them back once the frenzy begins and deals start getting announced; but General Manager Omar Khan has a lot of work to do in the upcoming days. There will be a lot of holes to fill up, especially if he ends up re-signing none of the players with expiring contracts from the 2025 season. They call it "Free Agent Frenzy" for a reason.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers’ General Manager Omar Khan intently making a crucial phone call during the intensity of draft night, coordinating key decisions to shape the future of the franchise.
One of those players may be gone with a major raise. NFL insider Josina Anderson reported that one of the Steelers' cornerbacks is suddenly a hot commodity, as multiple teams are very interested in his services despite his limited experience at the position. He had one incredible surge that may have changed his career moving forward.
NEW: I'm told "8 to 9" teams are currently expected to have preliminary interest in impending free agent Pittsburgh #Steelers CB James Pierre, per source. Corner is a big need in the upcoming market.
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) March 8, 2026
Subscribe here in preparation for the NFL's Legal Tampering Period & Free… pic.twitter.com/sKJJBpTPMp
Cornerback James Pierre had a late, but surprising break-out in the 2025 season. The Steelers were definitely interested in keeping him, but with how active his market is expected to be, it's a no-brainer to test out free agency and see exactly what teams are willing to pay up. There is no guarantee that he would be a starter in Pittsburgh, so if he can get that role with a massive pay raise, he will certainly take it.
Nick Smith / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' James Pierre makes a big tackle during a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers during the 2025 season.
Supply and demand matters as much in the NFL as it does in the real world. There are not many big-name starting-caliber cornerbacks on the open market this year. If a team sees Pierre as a guy that can start every game for it, it will pay him as such. This happened in 2025 as well, when the Tennessee Titans paid Dan Moore Jr. to be their starting left tackle due to the lack of linemen available to them. It did not work well for them.
In 14 games in 2025, Pierre only started five of them at cornerback. He played 38% of the Steelers' defensive snaps, with most of those coming in the final month or so of the season. He has primarily been a special teams ace in Pittsburgh, but if a team pays him like a starting corner, it most likely will keep the veteran off of punt and kickoff return duties. That would be a major risk for whoever signs him.
Steelers Will Pivot To Other Pending Free Agent Corner Now
With Pierre likely getting signed elsewhere, the door opens up wide for Asante Samuel Jr. to come back to Pittsburgh and at least compete for the starting CB2 job. While the former undrafted free agent's market is expected to be inflated, Samuel's is expected to be suppressed due to his recent spinal surgery, even though he seemed to recover well from that in the few games he played in 2025.
Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. (22) during a regular season matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins.
Samuel also has more experience with being a starting cornerback than Pierre, so that would help his case to stay with the Steelers for another year. Khan would definitely rather a young, experienced, cheap cornerback as opposed to a special teamer who had just one good stretch of games at cornerback. Both the floor and the ceiling would be much higher for Samuel.
What do you think about the Steelers losing Pierre due to all the interest in him from other teams? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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