Steelers rookies will wait until June 2 at the earliest to sign contracts

A signing bonus comes to players in the form of a check, cut right then and there (or in the modern vernacular, is direct-deposited into the account of the signee). While the other rookies of the AFC North are likely getting their respective signing bonuses, both large and small, the Steelers rookies will have to wait another few weeks.

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The $5.5 million of cap relief the Steelers will receive after June 1, when the remaining prorated piece of released offensive guard Willie Colon's contract hits the cap, will be used to sign the Steelers' draft class.

While it's certainly not the end of the world to wait another few weeks to receive, in the cases of first round pick Jarvis Jones, we're talking about roughly $5 million.

Sort of a bummer for Jones. Definitely sucks to be him. Ahem.

Each side has likely already discussed terms, and there isn't much room for negotiation under the rules of the Collective Bargaining Agreement signed in 2011, so it's out of the question to worry about a holdout. If anything, it could be a good thing. National Football Post's Jack Bechta writes there's a slew of things a player could do wrong with all that money, so perhaps it's better they see their colleagues getting paid right away, and have to wait a bit longer.

They'll all be signed quickly, maybe even immediately, after June 1. What's another few weeks?

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