Mike Mitchell is one of the highest-paid Steelers, and with that designation comes expectations. If Mitchell did not know it when he signed his contract, he found out soon enough.
Mitchell’s $25 million contract made him a target when he struggled in his first season in a Steelers uniform. Signed to bring playmaking ability to a turnover-starved defense, Mitchell finished the 2014 season with zero interceptions and failed to provide many other big plays.
That’s an especially troubling statistic for a free safety, but what fans didn’t know was Mitchell played all 16 games with two badly injured groin muscles and a hernia that required surgery after the season.