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Omar Khan and the Pittsburgh Steelers made their final decision on the fifth-year option for Broderick Jones.
General manager Omar Khan and the Pittsburgh Steelers faced a difficult decision with left tackle Broderick Jones this spring. That decision has arrived.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Thursday night the Steelers declined to exercise the fifth-year option in Jones’s contract. The left tackle will become an unrestricted free agent next offseason.
The option would have paid Jones roughly $19.1 million for the 2027 season.
The Steelers are declining the fifth-year option for left tackle Broderick Jones, per source.
The option would’ve paid $19.1M. Jones, who is coming off neck surgery, is set to be a 2027 free agent. He has 38 career starts and was playing well pre-injury.
Jones had a rocky start to his career, splitting his time in 2023 and 2024 at left and right tackle. During 2025, he became the team’s starting left tackle.
Early last season, the former first-round pick showed improvement. But he suffered a serious neck injury in November and finished the season on injured reserve.
“Broderick Jones’ neck injury complicated the Steelers’ decision,” wrote ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. “Would’ve been much more likely that his fifth-year option would’ve been picked up if he stayed healthy.”
Dave Holcomb is a sports reporter covering the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Pittsburgh Steelers and a variety of other NFL teams. Originally from Pittsburgh, Holcomb has covered college and professional sports for outlets including FanSided, Rotowire and Yardbarker. More about Dave Holcomb