Steelers Finally Sign Former First-Round Safety

The Pittsburgh Steelers, at long last, have finalized their agreement with a former first-round safety.

Oct 19, 2025; London, United Kingdom; Jacksonville Jaguars safety Darnell Savage (6) gets in position before a play against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half of an NFL International Series game at Wembley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Pittsburgh Steelers have tied up one of their final loose ends this offseason.

According to KPRC 2 Houston's Aaron Wilson, veteran safety Darnell Savage has officially signed his previously reported one-year deal with the Steelers.

Veteran safety Darnell Savage Jr., has signed with #Steelers, per veteran agent Seth Katz. Katz told @KPRC2
'Darnell is excited about playing for the Steelers' https://t.co/GM6Bg9tTqA

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) June 2, 2026

The news of Savage's agreement with Pittsburgh first broke during the legal tampering period back in early March. For one reason or another, though, there was a lengthy delay in the process that prevented the deal from crossing the finish line for over two months.

Now, Savage is in the building for mandatory minicamp and is in a strong position to earn a 53-man roster spot as a reserve safety behind Jaquan Brisker and DeShon Elliott.

The 2019 first-round pick out of Maryland spent the first five seasons of his NFL career with the Green Bay Packers, where he was teammates with Aaron Rodgers through 2022.

Savage played in 72 games for Green Bay during that span and put up 302 tackles to go alongside interceptions.

He later signed a three-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars before the 2024 season worth a total of $21.750 million. Savage, however, was released well before that deal expired in September 2025.

He then joined the Washington Commanders and suited up for eight games with them before being cut in December. The Buffalo Bills then picked up Savage off waivers, and he played in two regular season games for them.

Jacksonville Jaguars safety Darnell Savage (6) is introduced before an NFL football matchup Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Packers edged the Jaguars 30-27 on a last-second field goal. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Pittsburgh's Wait for Savage and How The Safety Room is Affected

The Steelers were dilligent in filling a majority of their roster holes this offseason, with the Brisker signing serving as the greatest example in the case of the safety room.

Savage also factored into that equation as a solid depth piece who would step in and essentially take over the spot(s) vacated by the likes of Kyle Dugger and Chuck Clark as the No. 3 option at the position.

As more time went on without any updates on the Savage front, though, the more dubious the situation appeared in regards to the chances of the 28-year-old ever actually suiting up for Pittsburgh.

That, at least temporarily, opened the door for Sebastian Castro and Robert Spears-Jennings to make their mark during the first two weeks of OTAs and present a stronger case to ultimately crack the 53-man roster.

With Savage now officially in town as the lone veteran backup at safety unless Jalen Ramsey also spends a fair amount of time there, it lessens the odds of both Castro and Spears-Jennings sticking around by the time Week 1 rolls around.

There's likely still room for one of them to make the roster, though neither will see the field on defense with any sort of consistency and instead will have more of an impact on special teams in 2026.

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