The Pittsburgh Steelers released veteran pass-rusher Preston Smith on Friday, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Smith played eight games with the Steelers during the 2024 season after he was acquired in a Nov. 5 trade with the Green Bay Packers.
Pittsburgh gained $12 million in 2025 cap space by parting ways with the 32-year-old, via Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Smith racked up 13 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks and one fumble recovery with the Steelers.
The writing was on the wall for Smith prior to his release, as he was a healthy scratch in a Week 17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs as well as Pittsburgh’s 28-14 defeat at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
He was on the field for just 30 percent of the Steelers’ defensive snaps after the trade compared to 54 percent of the Packers’ defensive snaps prior to the change of scenery, via Pro Football Reference.
Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline also reported that Smith was “expected to be cut” by Pittsburgh on Jan. 29.
The former second-round pick served as a consistent presence in opposing backfields to begin his career with Green Bay and Washington. Smith recorded at least eight sacks in six of his first nine years in the league, including every season from 2021-23.
Despite his underwhelming 2024 campaign with the Packers and Steelers, Smith should still have several interested suitors in free agency.
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh will likely use the cap flexibility gained by releasing Smith to target alternate complementary options alongside T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward on its defensive line.
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