The Steelers currently sit at around $10 million dollars over the mandatory salary cap. To meet NFL rules they must meet the salary cap by March 8th. This gives the team just under three weeks to rectify their salary cap issues as well as open up room for signing their own, and other teams, free agents.
The first plan will be to continue restructuring contracts of players currently on the roster. Ben Roethlisberger, James Harrison, Troy Polamalu and Heath Miller have all been mentioned as potential candidates for contract restructuring. Roethlisberger, Harrison and Polamalu could all potentially save the team around $4 million dollars against the cap in 2012. The saved money in restructured contracts is then pro-rated over a certain number of years. The player gets the money up front and the bonus is broken up into the future to lessen each year’s cap hit. If all four of these players were to restructure the Steelers could save around $13-14 million in 2012 and be under the salary cap with a bit of breathing room, but not much.
After restructuring with who they can they will move to the harder decisions. Do not be surprised to see well known players get cut in the coming weeks. These players include: Hines Ward (cap savings of $3+ million), Casey Hampton (cap savings of $3+ million), James Farrior (cap savings of $3+ million), Larry Foote (cap savings of $2+ million), Aaron Smith (cap savings of $2+ million), Willie Colon (cap savings of $3+ million), and Chris Kemoeatu (cap savings of $3+ million).
These players will all likely be approached with the decision to take a pay cut, restructure, or to be released. Hines Ward has made it known that he is willing to take a pay cut to retire as a Steeler. This pay cut would still save around $2 million dollars and be a good compromise if the Steelers want him back. Casey Hampton and Willie Colon have expressed no interest in taking less money or giving a “hometown discount” and with both players coming off injury they could both be cap casualties.
Aaron Smith has been unable to stay healthy in recent years and is expected to be a retirement candidate. If he wants to keep playing it is unlikely it will be with the Steelers; especially with Ziggy Hood and Cameron Heyward ready to step in.
Farrior and Foote have been mainstays on the Steelers defense for quite some time, outside of the one year Foote spent in Detroit, but both are getting up there in age and have lost a step. Foote would be welcome back at a lower salary to start alongside Lawrence Timmons or to be the back-up ILB. However, at their current salaries both players will likely be cap casualties opening the position for Stevenson Sylvester or a draft pick.
Kemoeatu was benched multiple times in 2011 and at his salary is very likely to be gone. Ramon Foster and Doug Legursky have outperformed Kemo and make far less in terms of salary. Kemo also does not seem the type to restructure or take a pay cut to help the team.
The final course of action will be player evaluations for everyone on the team. Players that the Steelers believe they could replace, in terms of production, with a draft pick or rookie free agent will likely be gone. This will deplete the number of high quality back-ups on the roster, but that is the position the Steelers are currently in with the number of high paid players on the roster. They will also have to find a way to resign receiver Mike Wallace, who could demand over $9 million a year, who is the teams number one priority this off-season according to GM Kevin Colbert.
My Predictions:
The Steelers will restructure a few more contracts and save themselves around $10 million dollars.
Hampton, Kemoeatu, Smith, and one of Farrior and Foote will be gone saving close to another $10 million dollars.
sorry to annoy you, i just have so much on my mind. I’m probally one of the most obsessed person with steelers you’ll find ( but thats what every steeler fan would say). Im only a freshmen in highschool and my Dream is to play, coach, finace, or anything.
I have ADD and I’m not great at school. But there is something about football thought keeps me focus.
I know you dont care about my life so I just want to say thanks for all help.:)
Hey, I have the same goal. I didn’t have the talent to play so I got a sports administration degree and I’m going to try and work my way into the Steelers front office one day.
Thanks for following my site! Tell your friends
Do you do anything like financing or soemthing, cuz i read your answer to tim on the salary cap and it seemed like a confidant answer.
anyway, the steelers are going to do what is best for the team. If they dont want to keep him for sure they will put a 1st round tender on him for a nother first round pick.
I see no reason to spend 9 mil on wallace for the franchise tag. With that said I would think they would try to sign him long term. It’s alot cheaper that way.
I have taken finance courses and have studied the NFL salary cap structure a lot. I know how a lot of this stuff works and can work and have faith in our front office doing things right.
grat point, I just hope he can understand that he may not get the money he wants(to keep payin in Pittsburgh), what people forget to talk about is that even if some offers him a big deal, its all up to him to decide. So it all revolves around what he wants and how strong is love is for Pittsburgh.
im just saying to be ready for any outcome
I’m ready for anything at this point. The good thing about this situation is their is no bad outcome. We either keep Mike or get a first. At least we can’t lose him for nothing which is good.
I doubt that will happen too, but you can always hope.
things arn’t looking good on wallace right now! yesterday he talked to sirus radio and talked about his feelings about joining the pats and 49ers. It didn’t sound like he was interreted in coming back.
If you look at what wallace does in-terms of deffences, he takes one of the safties with him, leaving other guys to get open.
So he’s important, just not for what the steelers are going to try and do in 2012.
Wallace is my favoite playe, but his MOUTH is going to get him intoube some day
I saw what he said to be more “politically correct” then as interest in other teams. He was asked his feelings on those teams. If he says they suck and no way then he has burned bridges going there, but if he says he really wants to go there than he is going to burn bridges on other teams. He said they are contenders and that they could be a piece away from a title which is true.
He didn’t say he wants out or that he wants to leave. In fact, if you trust his word, everything on his twitter page is pro-Steelers.
If we are going to let wallace go, we better get a 15-20 1st round pick. It would be scary to see this guy end up with the Pats,bengals,ravens,49ers, or even the freakin Browns who also have the #4 pick.
If we can get a 19th first round pick to send wallace to chicago(who needs a WR bad) then we have either focus on 2 first round interior linemen, or a guy like michael floyd and a great LT. Then draft a NT in the second. Donatari poe is not the only good NT out there
It would hurt to see Wallace leave for a late first. I also agree with you that Poe is not the only good NT in the draft there are a few guys in rounds two and three that may prove just as good maybe even better than Poe.
Best case scenario we get Wallace back a guy like LT Jonathan Martin falls to us in round one and Poe falls to us in round 2. Won’t happen, but it would be nice.
Sorry to waste your time, I just had one more question.
with alot of vets possibly being cut, do you see
Pittsburgh trying to make room to try to make a small move in free agency
I’ll answer your questions separately:
As far as the draft Poe is currently rated to go at the beginning of the second round. There are, however, a few NT prospects that will go in the second and third that may prove just as good as Poe. If a player such as LT Jonathan Martin from Stanford falls to 24 he will no doubt be the pick with a NT coming later in the draft. It’s just hard to say we will know more after everyone’s pro days. Poe, with a good combine, could fall to us in round two or move up in the first. You never know.
As far as Mendenhall is concerned please look at my post on him. I believe Haley will benefit Mendy and think he could provide a boost half way through the season when he should be back to play. Haley runs a two back system that would likely use Mendy and Redman together and benefit both. They would split carries and be used in the run game together. Also, with Mendy likely missing half the season he will be cheaper and easier to resign next off-season (most likely).
As far as the draft, I’ve seen many different mock’s were we take Dontari Poe DT, and I’ve seen others were we take a LT. What do you think? On top of that I’ve seen people starting to doubt Mendenhall (I still belive), Do you see Mendenhall benifitng from the addition of Todd Halley?
if you had to guess, were do you see the salary cap
after all of this happens?
Roethlisberger and Harrison will likely restructure saving about 8 million which should level us out.
Hines salary cut will save about 2 million.
I see Farrior, Smith, Hampton, Kemoeatu, and maybe a few others being cut creating about 12-15 million dollars in space total.
Signing Wallace long term could make his cap hit 5-7 so at worst you have another 5-7 to work with and maybe restructure Polamalu for another 3-4 in space.
I also think we could see a move or two that surprise us.
will the steelers have enough room to resign mike wallace, and also to sighn there draft picks?
They still have a lot of work to do, but they also have a lot of options.
If you’re keeping track with Willie Colon restructuring today that should put us at around 7 million over the cap right now.
Rumors of Ben, James and Troy restructuring are still going around.
As well as Farrior, Foote, Hampton, Smith, Scott and a few others being rumored as potential cap casualties