Rest easy Steelers Nation, the Steelers Killer Bees will not be straying from the Hive. The start of NFL free agency is a little more than a week away, but the Pittsburgh Steelers have taken care of their top two priorities in a hurry.
In a flurry of moves on the South Side, the Pittsburgh Steelers resigned Antonio Brown to a 5-year contract worth $72.71 million dollars. On the same day, the Steelers announced that they were placing the Exclusive Franchise Tag on Le’Veon Bell.
The contract includes money from Brown’s previous contract, which he signed in 2011 and is essentially a four year $68 million dollar extension complete with 19 million dollars in guaranteed money.
Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown celebrate during the Steelers 2016 Thanksgiving win over the Colts. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune Review
Antonio Brown was not set to become a free agent until 2018, and still had one year remaining on the 6 year contract which he signed after just two years in the NFL.
However, Brown had greatly out performed that contract, which didn’t remotely reflect his status as one of the NFL’s top three wide receivers. The current deal makes Antonio Brown the highest paid NFL wide receiver.
- Antonio Brown will be 29 on opening day 2017 and this current deal will carry him through his 32 birthday.
While Antonio Brown’s third contract with the Steelers doesn’t ensure that he’ll be a Steeler for Life, as he tweet suggests, it does bring that reality within reach.
Steelers for life #Boomin pic.twitter.com/LYcCi4fW8U
— Antonio Brown (@AntonioBrown) February 27, 2017
And, assuming Antonio Brown neither suffers a serious injury nor a drop off in play, the deal all but ensures that Antonio Brown will break all of Lynn Swann, John Stallworth and Hines Ward‘s receiving records.
Steelers Use Exclusive Franchise Tag on Le’Veon Bell
One player who was set to hit free agency this week was Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell who had played through the rookie contract that he signed with the Steelers after they drafted him in the 2nd round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
- While Bell’s development has zig-zagged more than Browns, he too is the best at what he does.
The Steelers have said all along that they want to reach a long-term deal with their star running back, and by using the exclusive franchise tag with Le’Veon Bell, Pittsburgh is proving they mean it. Because Le’Veon Bell now carries the exclusive franchise tag, no other team can negotiate with him.
- That means the Steelers will be forced to pay Bell more, but prevents teams like the Cleveland Browns, who have salary cap space and first round draft picks galore from making a run at Bell.
While NFL running backs have a shorter-shelf life than NFL wide receivers, Le’Veon Bell has already broke the Steelers regular season and post season single game rushing records. While it is still way, way too early to project this far into the future, a long-term deal would at least open the door to the possibility that Le’Veon Bell might threaten other Steelers rushing records owned by Franco Harris and Jerome Bettis
- While Ben Roethlisberger has yet to confirm that he will return for 2017, he is expected to do just that.
With two of the three Steelers Killer Bees locked up a week before training camp, the Steelers can now focus their attention on reaching new contracts with Lawrence Timmons and James Harrison.
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