Steelers Would Be Smart to Let LB Jason Worilds Walk in Free Agency

Everyone knew this day was coming. It is the 2015 offseason, and that means the Pittsburgh Steelers have to make a decision about free-agent linebacker Jason Worilds and his potential new contract. Choices like this are never simple, but it seems fairly obvious given everything that has happened that the Steelers simply cannot re-sign Worilds.

Before we get into why the Steelers need to part ways with him, it is probably best that we get everyone up to speed as to how Pittsburgh got to this point in the first place. In 2013, Worilds had something of a breakout season, parlaying 11 starts into eight sacks.

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

This forced the hand of the Steelers on some level, knowing Worilds was set to dip his toe into free agency. Even though eight sacks might not feel like a ton, the market will always favor a guy who is young (26) and plays a position of great demand.

Nevertheless, the Steelers didn’t feel comfortable just throwing a long-term contract at Worilds with a ton of money attached. So, in an attempt to lock him down for one more year, the Steelers put the transition tag on him, which paid him $9.754 million in 2014.

Nevertheless, the transition tag is just pulling the Band-Aid off slowly rather than quickly. We fast-forward a year and the Steelers are exactly where they were before. He is once again facing free agency, and Pittsburgh has no better picture of what Worilds is capable of.

For this reason, the Steelers need to let Worilds walk so they can start to truly build this defense fresh. Now that Pittsburgh has their new defensive coordinator in Keith Butler, it’s time to pull that Band-Aid off fast and move forward at outside linebacker. It’ll sting, but once that passes, things will be better.

I know that I am likely in the minority of those who write about the Steelers when it comes to Worilds. Most Steelers pundits want the Steelers to try to re-sign him if it can be done reasonably, but as Ed Bouchette pointed out in his Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Q&A, no more tags for Worilds.

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I would try to sign Jason Worilds to another contract, as well as Arthur Moats. If I could not come to terms with Worilds, I certainly would not tag him again and give him another $10 million. I would then turn to James Harrison and talk to him about returning for another year. I would shop for an outside linebacker in free agency and/or draft one. If, after all this, I did not feel comfortable with what I had, I would tell Lawrence Timmons he is now an outside linebacker and go with Ryan Shazier, Vince Williams and Sean Spence on the inside.

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The Steelers are in the midst of a significant transition. Butler has already said publicly in an interview with Bob Labriola of Steelers.com that he plans to play a true hybrid defensive system. This could make it tempting to keep the 262-pound linebacker to play a hybrid defensive end. Nevertheless, the Steelers must resist temptation and bring in new talent better suited to this system.

If the Steelers did want to keep Worilds, he is going to demand a hefty contract. For comparison, Over the Cap ranked the highest-paid 3-4 outside linebackers in the league.

Where would Worilds fall on this list? On the market, he is probably close to where Cleveland Browns linebacker Paul Kruger is. I don’t feel comfortable with a guy who is going to get seven or eight sacks a year being locked in at $8.1 million per year and $13 million in guaranteed money. It is preferable to let some other team overpay for him now, rather than it be Pittsburgh.

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No one wants another LaMarr Woodley situation. If you don’t know what that means, the Steelers are sitting on $8.58 million in dead money in 2015 because Woodley’s game fell off and his salary kept climbing and the Steelers had to sever the cord.

I know that fans are nostalgic. It is difficult to think about letting a guy like Worilds walk. He was drafted by the Steelers in the second round of the 2010 draft and has shown steady improvement every season. Nevertheless, the window of opportunity continues to shrink for a player like Worilds to impress before financial decisions must be made.

Even with the progress Worilds has made, it doesn’t justify the pay raise he is in a position to get from another franchise with more salary-cap space. Now, if he is willing to take the hometown discount and come back under the market, then so be it. However, that isn't likely to happen, and a big contract for Worilds holds the rest of the defense back.

The 2015 draft class of edge players is talented and deep. This makes the decision to let Worilds walk even easier. I wish him all the best in his career. It just can’t be in Pittsburgh.