Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Jason Worilds will become a free agent next month because the team won’t use the transition tag on him, ESPN.com reported Wednesday night.

Last spring, the Steelers retained Worilds with the transition tag, and he earned $9,754,000 in 2014. He finished with 7.5 sacks and his first career interception last year. Over the past two seasons, his 15.5 sacks top the team.

In five seasons with Pittsburgh since he was a second-round pick in 2010 out of Virginia Tech, Worilds, 26, has 25.5 sacks and 204 tackles in 73 games (37 starts).

The deadline for placing the franchise tag or the transition tag on potential free agents is Monday.

The “exclusive” franchise tag prohibits negotiations with other teams, and once signed by the player, guarantees a salary figure equal to the top five players at his position.

The “non-exclusive” franchise tag permits negotiations with other teams until July 15. If the current team declines to match any contract offer from another team to the player, it can receive two first-round draft choices as compensation.

The transition tag assures a player a one-year deal worth the average of the top-10 salaries at his position.