Steelers cut veteran wide receiver after disappointing season

Aug 19, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; A Pittsburgh Steelers helmet sits on the sidelines against the Buffalo Bills at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Pittsburgh Steelers opened up more salary cap space on Friday by releasing one of the more disappointing players on last season’s roster.

The Steelers are releasing wide receiver Allen Robinson after just one season with the team. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the team will save $10 million against the cap by moving on from Robinson.

Releasing Allen Robinson saves the Steelers $10 million against their cap. https://t.co/IlMmUKjLXz

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 8, 2024

The hope was that Robinson would provide the Steelers with a third viable option at wide receiver along with Diontae Johnson and George Pickens, but it never worked out that way. While Robinson appeared in all 17 games, he caught only 34 passes for 280 yards and did not find the end zone. It is a far cry from the player who was a 1,000-yard receiver as recently as 2020.

Robinson turns 31 in August and is coming off three consecutive subpar seasons. He has previously suggested that he has been misused in recent years, but it is getting much more difficult to believe that. He will latch on elsewhere, but he will have to take a significantly lower figure than the $15.5 million average annual salary his previous contract gave him.