2024 Steelers Exit Interviews: Cory Trice Jr. and Donte Jackson

The Pittsburgh Steelers 2024 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 2025.

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 them yet again 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 cornerbacks Cory Trice Jr. and Donte Jackson.

Cory Trice Jr.

Position: Cornerback
Years with the Steelers: 2
Years in the NFL: 2
Contract Status: Signed through 2026
Contract Details: $1,051,109 salary cap hit for 2025. Would cost the Steelers $42,218 in dead money if released and save $1,008,891.
Games played in 2023: 6 regular season
Games started in 2023: 1 regular season
Snaps (regular season): 193 (defense), 60 (special teams)
PFF score: 69.4 (DNQ for ranking)
Notable stats: Trice had 21 tackles, one of which was for loss, one interception, and 2 passes defensed with one touchdown surrendered. He also had an interception on a two-point conversion attempt.

Notes: His two seasons with the Steelers have been defined by injuries. Missing all of his rookie season, Trice missed nine games in 2024 while being on the Reserve/Injured List. Even after his return at the end of his 21-day window, there were still two more games where Trice was inactive. It wasn’t until injuries in the secondary had him playing the final three regular season games. It was a shame Trice was injured in Week 3 as he was outstanding in Week 2. Additionally, Trice was the best player in the secondary on Christmas day against the Kansas City Chiefs. But after drawing the 1-on-1 match up against the best wide receiver in the NFL in 2024 the final week of the regular season, the Steelers had Trice back on the inactive list in the playoffs. Despite some high-quality play when he was available, there has to be serious questions about how the Steelers view Trice as a viable option for their secondary moving forward based on his usage.

Donte Jackson

Position: Cornerback
Years with the Steelers: 1
Years in the NFL: 7
Contract Status: Free Agent
Contract Details: Contract expiring with no dead money.
Games played in 2023: 15 regular season
Games started in 2023: 15 regular season
Snaps (regular season): 780 (defense), 54 (special teams)
PFF score: 49.4 (110th of 116)
Notable stats: Jackson had 38 tackles, 2 of which were for loss, 5 interceptions, 8 passes defensed, and a fumble recovery with 3 touchdowns surrendered.

Notes: I don’t know what to think of Donte Jackson. Yes, he led the Steelers in interceptions in 2024. Yes, I think he brought better play at cornerback than what the Steelers had the previous season. No, I don’t think his play was of high enough quality to warrant a contract similar to what he had previously. If Donte Jackson were to return to the Steelers next season, there should be no guarantee he even wins the starting job as an upgrade at the position would do a lot for the Steelers defense.

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:

Troy Fautanu & Broderick Jones
Zach Frazier & Ryan McCollum
Roman Wilson & Van Jefferson
Payton Wilson & Patrick Queen
Mason McCormick & James Daniels
Logan Lee & Isaiahh Loudermilk
Ryan Watts & Damontae Kazee
Joey Porter Jr. & James Pierre
Keeanu Benton & Montravius Adams
Darnell Washington & Pat Freiermuth
Nick Herbig & Jeremiah Moon