Could S Devin McCourty Be a Steelers Free-Agency Target?

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ed Bouchette spoke with 97.3 The Fan on Tuesday about the futures of key Pittsburgh Steelers veterans, among them safety Troy Polamalu. Bouchette said of Polamalu that, "I expect him not to be here by some means. The Steelers are hoping he would retire, but I don't know if he is going to."

Polamalu has two years left on his current contract and is set to cost $8.25 million against Pittsburgh's salary cap; however, the Steelers could save $3.75 million by releasing him with a pre-June 1 designation. With the Steelers currently around $10.3 million under the 2015 salary cap, according to ESPN.com's Scott Brown, releasing Polamalu would increase that amount to almost $14 million.

That amount of money would allow the Steelers some flexibility when free agency begins next week. And if they find themselves without Polamalu, as well as deciding not to re-sign free-agent safety Will Allen, the Steelers will be dreadfully thin at safety, especially ones who can start in 2015.

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Though the Steelers selected safety Shamarko Thomas in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL draft, he played only two snaps at safety in 2014, according to Pro Football Focus, instead making most of his impact on special teams. Given his lack of experience, it's possible that Thomas won't be Polamalu's heir apparent, at least in 2015.

Safety is a thin position in this year's draft. However, free agency looks to bear more fruit, based on the safeties set to hit the open market next week. But none is more intriguing for the Steelers than Devin McCourty, who spent his last five years with the New England Patriots, starting all 77 games he appeared in.

Year	Games	Starts	Tackles	INT	PD	FF	FR
2014	16	16	59	2	9	1	0
Total	77	77	303	17	59	7	1

McCourty was not given the Patriots' franchise or transition tags this year, meaning he's free to negotiate with other teams. Though McCourty would certainly welcome a return to New England, he understands that may not happen.

In speaking with The Boston Globe's Shalise Manza Young, McCourty said, "I want to be back [with the Patriots], and they want me back, too, but it comes down to the business of everything, and being a free agent, I have the chance to see what other teams are saying, too."

Forget for a moment that McCourty played free safety in New England, while Polamalu was the Steelers' long-standing strong safety—the two positions are mostly interchangeable at this point. And the snap breakdowns for the two players in 2014 reflects that.

Player	Total Snaps	Run D. Snaps	Rush Snaps	Coverage Snaps
McCourty	1,196	451	7	738
Polamalu	771	297	44	430

McCourty played 1,196 snaps in 2014—451 in run defense, seven as a pass-rusher and 738 in coverage. Polamalu played 771 snaps—297 against the run, 44 as a pass-rusher and 430 in coverage. The only difference was how much more often Polamalu was asked to rush the passer, a difference in defensive scheme more than a difference in position or player talent.

Over McCourty's five seasons in New England, he's amassed 303 tackles, 17 interceptions, 59 passes defensed, seven forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. In 2014, he had 59 tackles, two interceptions, nine passes defensed and a forced fumble. Given production like that, McCourty will be in high demand in free agency, which could drive his price exceptionally high.

There's no guarantee that the Steelers are amassing cash in order to make a push at McCourty or any higher-profile free agent. However, if McCourty is a target, he wouldn't be a poor one. 

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The question is how much McCourty could cost to sign. ESPN Boston's Mike Reiss breaks down what, to him, is a fair deal: five years, $45 million, with a $10 million signing bonus.

That would include a $5 million guaranteed base salary in 2015 with a $7 million cap hit, a $6 million guaranteed salary in 2016 with an $8 million cap hit and then a team-friendly 2017 that includes a $7 million base salary with $1 million guaranteed and a $9 million total cap hit.

That sounds quite similar to what Polamalu is set to receive in the next two years—$8.25 million against the cap in 2015 and $8 million in 2016. And if the Steelers are only balking at Polamalu's high salary in relation to his age and declining skills, they may be more than amenable to pay out similar money to the younger, faster McCourty.

In fact, looking at it as a Polamalu-for-McCourty swap, it's not much of a financial hit for the Steelers to make a run at McCourty. And given the Steelers' vaunted defensive history and perennial playoff potential, Pittsburgh might prove to be an attractive landing spot for McCourty, who is just over a month removed from helping the Patriots win the Super Bowl.

The Steelers are rarely big spenders or the acquirers of flashy players in free agency, but the impending departure of Polamalu puts them in a difficult position. Not only do they have to replace an eight-time Pro Bowler, they also must replace him with someone they know can start in his stead immediately.

None of their free-agency options may be better than McCourty. He has at least five more years of effective football left and a price tag that the Steelers actually can afford. It might finally be time for the Steelers to make a run at a higher-profile player like McCourty in order to make sure the safety position is in good hands in 2015.