Steelers release Moore
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The Steelers continued clearing salary cap space on Monday, releasing veteran wide receiver Lance Moore.
The move came a few days after the team restructured the contracts of right tackle Marcus Gilbert and safety Mike Mitchell, clearing just over $6 million in cap space.
The team also has had discussions with center Maurkice Pouncey regarding a restructure on his contract, a move that could clear as much as $3.8 million in cap space.
The flurry of moves comes as teams prepare for the NFL’s new calendar year, which begins with the start of free agency March 10.
The league informed teams Monday that the 2015 salary cap will be $143.28 million, an increase of $10 million from 2014.
With the release of Moore, who was scheduled to earn $1.5 million in base salary in 2015 as part of a two-year free agent deal he signed last year, the Steelers cleared just over $1 million in cap space and are now approximately $8 million under the salary cap.
Some of that money could be used to tender offers to restricted free agents Robert Golden, a safety, cornerback Antwon Blake and fullback Will Johnson. The original round tender for those three players, all of whom were undrafted, would be $1.5 million each, which would leave the team with $3.4 million in cap space.
Moore, 31, was signed to a two-year, $3-million deal last March to help the Steelers offset the free agent losses of Emmanuel Sanders and Jerricho Cotchery. He spent the previous nine seasons with the New Orleans Saints.
But he suffered a groin injury in training camp and then lost playing time when rookie Martavis Bryant emerged at midseason. Moore finished the season with just 14 receptions for 198 yards and two touchdowns. He reportedly asked the team for his release following the Steelers’ playoff loss to Baltimore, a game in which Moore was not active.
The Steelers allowed the NFL deadline for using the franchise or transition tag on an impending free agent to pass on Monday, meaning outside linebacker Jason Worilds will test free agency next week.
Worilds, who tied for the team lead last season with 7.5 sacks, played under the transition tag at a cost of $9.5 million in 2014. The cost to place the transition tag on him again this year would have been $11 million.