Pittsburgh Steelers President Art Rooney II opened the 2016 off season by declaring that the franchise needed to bolster its secondary and the first move in free agency saw the Steelers sign Robert Golden to a 3 year contract.
While the Steelers did not relase the terms of the contract, the details, as they’re prone to do, have leaked out:
The Steelers have reached agreement with safety Robert Golden on a 3yr/$5M deal
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) March 7, 2016
Based on the numbers available on the site Over the Cap, the 1.7 million per year average of Robert Golden’s 3 year 5 million dollar contract puts him in the top quarter of NFL safeties, but well below the top 44. For comparison’s sake, Steelers starting strong safety Mike Mitchell’s contract average puts him at 20th out of 200.
Golden Moment for an Undrafted Rookie Free Agent
By any measure, Robert Golden’s new contract works out to win-win for both Golden and the Steelers. Golden joined the Steelers as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2012. Golden got a smattering of snaps with the Steelers secondary in 2012, but largely played special teams in 2013 and 2014.
- Still, Golden’s teammates elected him as special teams captain in 2014 and 2015.
During 2015 Robert Golden made 3 starts in 2015 for Will Allen, and saw his most extensive playing time. While he might not have established himself as a superstar, he did show himself as a viable, starter-cable safety, which is welcome news to the Steelers who’ve all but given up on Shamarko Thomas, who was once Troy Polamalu’s heir apparent.
The Steelers will still probably look to the 2016 NFL Draft to add to their depth chart at safety, and reports conflict as to whether Will Allen will return for a final season.
Either way, the Steelers like’d what they saw in Robert Golden, and have made him part of their plans for 2016 and beyond.
Free agency go your head spinning? Check out our Steelers 2016 free agent tracker and/or click here to read all articles on our Steelers 2016 Free Agent Focus section.
