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The Pittsburgh Steelers have made a flurry of moves over the past 24 hours. Between free agent signings and trades, the Steelers continue to grow their 2020 roster. As the exact financials become available, Behind The Steel Curtain will keep you up to date on the breakdown of deals and the effect on the salary cap.
According to NFL insider Adam Caplan, the numbers on the deal with new Steelers’ offensive lineman Stefen Wisniewski are as follows:
New #Steelers C/G Stefen Wisniewski's 2-year, $2.85m deal:
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) March 20, 2020
2020: $375k SB, $1.05m base.
2021: $1.425m base.
The small signing bonus of $375k will only count $187,500 each of the two years of the contract. Adding this number to the base salary each season, Wisniewski will only count $1.2375 million against the salary cap in 2020 and $1.6125 in 2021.
A second-round draft pick of the Oakland Raiders in 2011, The Pittsburgh Steelers will be Wisniewski’s fifth team in his NFL career. A two time Super Bowl champion with both the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, Wisniewski comes back to Pittsburgh after playing for Central Catholic High School and collegiately for Penn State. In 2019, Wisniewski had to step in and start for the Kansas City Chiefs at the end of the regular season and throughout the playoffs.
Wisniewski helps fill a need lost by B.J. Finney signng with the Seattle Seahawks for a two year contract worth $8 million. Adding depth to the interior of the offensive line helps to keep the position as a high area of need in the draft in April and can now allow the Steelers to draft the best player available. Additionally, Wisniewski fills the need for about a third of the cost of what it would have taken to retain Finney for the same number of years.
Stay tuned to Behind The Steel Curtain for breaking news, player updates, and all things Pittsburgh Steelers.