The Pittsburgh Steelers came into this offseason feeling as though changes need to be made at the safety position, both schematically and financially. They shed about $10 million worth of salary cap space combined by releasing Mike Mitchell, Robert Golden, and, later, J.J. Wilcox.
A good chunk of that money went right back into investing in the safety position, which included bringing in a new starter via free agency. Morgan Burnett had been a starter for the Green Bay Packers for eight seasons, going back to their defeat of the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV.