Steelers rework Eric Ebron‘s contract to free up cap space

The Pittsburgh Steelers are continuing to make moves in order to free up more room under the 2021 NFL salary cap. This time, the Steelers reworked the contract of tight end Eric Ebron in order to free up $3.9 million according to ESPN‘s Brooke Pryor.

Last offseason, Eric Ebron signed a two-year, $12 million deal with the Steelers. Ebron received a $1 million base salary and a $5 million signing bonus last season with a $5.5 million base salary and $500k roster bonus in 2021. With these numbers, Ebron counted only $3.5 million on the 2020 salary cap while having a number of $8.5 million in 2021.

Eric Ebron had the second-best statistical year of his career when he joined the Steelers last season. In 15 games, Ebron had 56 receptions for 558 yards and five touchdowns. The only season in which Ebron had better statistics was his 2018 Pro Bowl season with the Indianapolis Colts.

One of the biggest concerns with Ebron is he was credited with seven dropped passes in 2020 by Pro Football Reference. This number is still less than the nine drops he had in his Pro Bowl season. Additionally, the majority of Ebron’s drops occurred late in the season as he was both dealing with injury and playing the most snaps in his NFL career with 766.

In working up the numbers, one possible way that Steelers made this move was by adding four void years to Ebron’s contract. In doing so, Ebron could have a base salary of $1.075 million in 2021 with $4.925 million being converted into a signing bonus. If this is the case, the Steelers would save $3.94 million against the 2021 salary cap as Ebron’s cap hit would be reduced from $8.5 million to $4.56 million.

Details of the exact method the Steelers reworked the deal are unknown at this time. As the exact numbers become available, check back here at Behind The Steel Curtain for updates.