Steelers to decline CB Artie Burns' fifth-year option

The Steelers are not expected to exercise cornerback Artie Burns‘ fifth-year option for the 2020 season, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. Burns turned 24 years old on May 1, so Pittsburgh’s decision comes as an unwelcome birthday present. Had the Steelers opted to pick up his option, Burns would have been scheduled to earn $9.954M in 2020, but that total would have guaranteed for injury only. If Burns had remained healthy but underwhelmed with his play during the upcoming season, Pittsburgh could have cut bait with no financial ramifications. The 25th pick of the 2016 draft, Burns started 25 games during his first two years with the Steelers, posting four total interceptions during that time. Things fell apart in 2018, as Burns was benched multiple times and ultimately started only six contests. Football Outsiders charted Burns with just a 42 percent success rate in coverage, which would have ranked him in the bottom third of the league had he posted enough snaps to qualify. Burns isn’t necessarily a

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