Report: Pittsburgh Steelers Restructure Antonio Brown’s Contract To Get Under Salary Cap
By Matt Shetler
After a busy week, the Pittsburgh Steelers had a little more work to do in order to become complaint with the salary cap by the March 11 deadline.
They did so with a little help from last season’s MVP.
Dec 29, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver
Antonio Brown(84) gestures during a post game interview after defeating the Cleveland Browns at Heinz Field. The Pittsburgh Steelers won 20-7. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Wide receiver Antonio Brown restructured his contract with the Steelers late Friday night. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the move saves the team $4 million toward the salary cap.
Back in 2012, Brown signed a five-year extension with the Steelers worth $42.5 million.
The move gets the Steelers under the salary cap by Tuesday’s start to free agency.
In 2013, Brown finished second in the NFL in both receptions (110) and receiving yards (1,499). He also had eight touchdowns and took one punt return back for a touchdown.
The Brown move caps off a busy week for Steelers’ general manager Kevin Colbert to get the franchise under the cap.
Colbert got outside linebacker Jason Worilds to sign his transition tag, signed both tight end Heath Miller and safety Troy Polamalu to contract extensions and released the likes of linebacker Larry Foote, cornerback Curtis Brown and offensive tackle Levi Brown.
While the Steelers still aren’t in a position from which they can go out and improve the team via free agency, they are in a much better spot than they were a couple of weeks ago.
A couple more cost-saving moves just might do the trick.