The first thing to note about Shaun Suishams new deal, contrary to reports elsewhere, is that it makes no change to his cap charge this year meaning the Steelers still have the same amount of cap space in 2014 to use for contract extensions as they did before this one.
Here is the full set of numbers for Suishams extension which officially amounts to a total value of $12,575,000 including a $2.85 million signing bonus.
Year | Base Salary | Prorated Bonus | Roster Bonus | Other Bonus | Cap Number | Cap Savings |
2014 | $855,000 | $570,000 | $0 | $337,500 | $1,762,500 | ($1,425,000) |
2015 | $2,595,000 | $570,000 | $500,000 | $0 | $3,665,000 | $1,385,000 |
2016 | $2,400,000 | $570,000 | $0 | $0 | $2,970,000 | $1,260,000 |
2017 | $2,400,000 | $570,000 | $0 | $0 | $2,970,000 | $1,830,000 |
2018 | $2,400,000 | $570,000 | $0 | $0 | $2,970,000 | $2,400,000 |
With his base salary reduced in 2014 from it previous contracted number by $570,000 and this sum replaced by the new signing bonus he has in all practical terms actually been given an extension worth $12,005,000.
His contract numbers for 2014 prior to the extension were:
Year | Base Salary | Prorated Bonus | Roster Bonus | Other Bonus | Cap Number | Cap Savings |
2014 | $1,425,000 | $337,500 | $0 | $0 | $1,762,500 | $1,425,000 |
On first glance his new extension seems like a lot of money for a kicker.
But when breaking down the market for kickers and considering Suishams ranking among his peers one thing quickly becomes clear ... It REALLY is a LOT of money for a kicker.
With his cap charge remaining unchanged for 2014 Suisham has the 14th ranked cap number of all kickers this year, which seems about right given the positives about his accuracy and questions about his leg strength.
In 2015 however, the year with the highest charge on the new deal, Suisham will have the 4th highest cap number at his position behind only Josh Scobee from Jacksonville, Phil Dawson from San Francisco and Matt Prater from Denver and ahead of notable names like Sebastian Janikowski in Oakland and Robbie Gould in Chicago. His new extension will also see Suisham break into the top 10 Steelers under contract next season with the 9th highest cap charge.
2016 will see Suisham with the 7th highest cap charge for his position and 6th highest in 2017, albeit a year with few kickers under contract at this point.
These seem to be lofty heights for a kicker of Suishams quality but if he can seal at least a couple of wins with his leg over the course of the season it may look like money well spent even if it appears to be a bit rich right now.