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The Pittsburgh Steelers have long been known as being a first rate organization. A place other prospective players look at in high esteem. Somewhere free agents and draft picks are happy they are going.
What makes the Steelers organization so great? One of the many reasons is they take care of their own. A prime example would be how the Steelers recently took Ryan Shazier’s $8.26 million dollar base salary, and turned it into a signing bonus.
This per Field Yates of ESPN:
The Steelers have converted $8.26M of LB Ryan Shazier’s 2018 base salary into a signing bonus, per source. Shazier, placed on PUP Wednesday, earns that money now. While there are no cap implications, it’s a great gesture by a first rate organization.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) May 3, 2018
This wasn’t a salary cap move, but a move to get Shazier his money now, rather than having to wait to receive his check every week, like the rest of his teammates.
Shazier’s battle to get back on the field continues, and his rehabilitation is clearly working, as was on display the first night of the 2018 NFL Draft when Shazier walked onto the stage, to the podium and read the Steelers’ top pick of safety Terrell Edmunds. At least for his family’s peace of mind, they won’t have to worry about Shazier financially, and the Steelers will likely be there for him well beyond the 2018 season — whether he is on the field or not.