The Pittsburgh Steelers 2023 NFL season has come to a close. Because the Steelers are among the 31 teams who did not finish fulfilling their ultimate goal, they are in the process of wrapping up their season and moving forward into 2024.

Since the Steelers conduct exit interviews with all their players, and the fact I have done these articles in the past, we thought we would do the same here at Steel Curtain Network. By outlining two players each day, we will be able to look at their season in retrospect as well as looking toward the future. Since Coach Tomlin has previously stated he starts his interviews with rookies and those heading into free agency, we will attempt to do the same to some degree. To start, we will pair the most recent draftees with another player at the same position (if possible) as we work through this process to eventually cover the entire Steelers roster.

Next up are wide receivers Calvin Austin III and Allen Robinson.

Calvin Austin III

Position: Wide Receiver
Years with the Steelers: 2
Years in the NFL: 2
Contract Status: Signed through 2025
Contract Details: $1,111,084 salary cap hit for 2024. Would cost the Steelers $252,168 in dead money if released and save $858,916.
Games played in 2023: 17 regular season
Games started in 2023: 1 regular season
Snaps (regular season): 374 (offense), 80 (special teams)
PFF score: 56.6 (102nd of 128)
Notable stats: During the regular season, Austin had 180 receiving yards from 17 receptions on 30 targets with one touchdown. Austin also had 57 rushing yards on 11 attempts and one rushing touchdown. Austin also had 29 punt returns for 249 yards with a long of 34 yards.

Notes: In his first season on the field, Calvin Austin wasn’t used extensively within the Steelers offense. With only 28 touches on the season (29 including the postseason), Austin did find the end zone twice during the regular season and once in the playoffs. Additionally, he also brought some stability to the Steelers punt return. The big question for next year is if Austin is capable of stepping into the third wide receiver role or if he will simply be used more as a gadget player. Either way, there is room for him on the roster with wide receiver depth and as the punt returner.

Allen Robinson

Position: Wide Receiver
Years with the Steelers: 1
Years in the NFL: 10
Contract Status: Signed through 2024
Contract Details: $11,917,500 salary cap hit for 2024. Would cost the Steelers $1,917,500 in dead money if released and save $10,000,000.
Games played in 2023: 17 regular season
Games started in 2023: 17 regular season
Snaps (regular season): 771 (offense), 4 (special teams)
PFF score: 52.8 (114th of 128)
Notable stats: During the regular season, Robinson had 280 receiving yards from 34 receptions on 49 targets.

Notes: Although he is still under contract for 2024, the Steelers can’t go into this season with the current deal with Allen Robinson. With such a high base salary of $10 million for next season, they probably couldn’t even do a extension outside of Robinson agreeing to a significant pay cut. If Robinson were to return to the Steelers next year, it would most likely be after being released and then re-signed to a whole new deal. Whether or not that happens is merely a guess. Turning 31 ahead of next season and coming off the only season of his career without any touchdowns in which he played more than one game, I’m not sure what will be in the cards in regards with Allen Robinson and any NFL team let alone the Steelers.

Make sure you check back each day for another set of exit interviews. If you have missed any of the previous articles, they are listed here:

Broderick Jones & Chuks Okorafor
Joey Porter Jr. & Levi Wallace
Keeanu Benton & Montravius Adams
Darnell Washington & Rodney Williams
Nick Herbig & Markus Golden
Cory Trice Jr. & James Pierre
Spencer Anderson & Dylan Cook
Kenny Pickett & Mason Rudolph
George Pickens & Miles Boykin
DeMarvin Leal & Armon Watts