Former Georgia Bulldogs offensive tackle Broderick Jones might have to find a new NFL home after next season. The Pittsburgh Steelers are expected to decline his fifth-year option, according to Mark Kaboly of the Pat McAfee Show. Jones would become a free agent in 2027.
Unfortunately, Jones hasn’t quite lived up to his draft pick status. When the Steelers drafted him with the No. 14 pick in the 2023 NFL draft, Jones was expected to grow into a premier left tackle. However, injuries and ineffective play have impacted Jones’ development.
Jones started as the right tackle in 2023 and 2024 after losing the starting left tackle job to Dan Moore Jr., and he performed poorly, with a 57.3 Pro Football Focus grade in 2023 and a 58.7 PFF grade in 2024.
However, after Dan Moore Jr. joined the Tennessee Titans via free agency in 2025, Jones won the starting job. The transition to the blindside didn’t work out yet for Jones. He averaged a 57.7 PFF grade through 12 games last season before suffering a neck injury. He underwent a fusion procedure over the offseason to address the injury.
With the injury, the ineffectiveness, and the size of the fifth-year option ($19.07 million), it’s obvious the Steelers were going to decline it. They traded up in the 2023 draft to pick Jones, moving from No. 15 to No. 14 after many rumors that the New York Jets would draft him at No. 15. They picked edge rusher Will McDonald instead, and he’s worked out, they’re picking up his fifth-year option.
Meanwhile, Jones’ future is uncertain in Pittsburgh, with the Steelers potentially even finding his replacement in the 2026 NFL draft. Before his tenure in the NFL, Jones was an awesome blindside blocker for the Georgia Bulldogs. Jones helped Georgia win back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022. He was a member of the All-SEC first team in 2022.
Jones still has a year to prove himself before he’s scheduled to become a free agent in 2027. Jones could still agree to an extension with Pittsburgh, but it would probably be for less annually than the fifth-year option.
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This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: Steelers expected to decline fifth-year option on former Georgia OT
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