The Steelers sign Keeanu Benton to a contract extension

Yeah, because the Steelers have never lost an impact player due to money.

 

I mean,the only time the steelers were in cap hell,it was in the 2011-2013 period because of the lockout and the salary cap was down after that for a few years and in 2020-2021 because of covid...Outside of that,they were always fine.They are not even close to be in cap hell right now

Look at the entire league,I see team like the eagles who are like 70 millions over the cap before march in some years and they still keep all the players they want after that.They were even ready to trade for Parsons last year but of course Jerry Jones would never trade Parsons in their division

I could said that the salary cap is fake at this point.This is from last year

 

You draft and develop it keeps Benton and Herbig under contract for five years with the Steelers.

 

I hope You are correct. I can’t see them letting him go.

 

You, and me both

 

I personally believe waiting will make it more costly, but hell Im actually going feelings over fact with saying that

 

And I think he will be right in between, but I don't have any proof of this

 

I wouldn't. Gonzalez maybe, but he has missed 17 games for injuries already in his short career. Gardner is not worth what has been given for him . Jets gave a 1st for him, then gave him 120 mill for 4 years, and then he got traded for 2 first round picks , and a WR.
No thank, I rather have JPJ signed to a long-term here

 

Given Pittsburgh's history of drafting Corners as of the timing of this post, I also don't forsee a scenario in which Peezy Jr walks unless Jamel Dean gets seriously hurt and Daylen Everette plays at the level of a DROY. Not just this coming game but for the rest of the season. Even then, very hard to imagine even that would constitute Peezy Jr not being signed long term.

 

I wouldn't call the cap fake but it isn't something that limits teams as much as fans might think. It's the yearly cash spend that most teams focus on. Steelers are #5 in cash spend for 2026. They are spending $80M over the cap.

 

Pittsburgh thought they were deep at IDL from 2019 until 2025. Look how that turned out. Even awarding the Stephon Tuitt retirement argument, Pittsburgh had depth but not quality depth. Those are two different things.


Even if I were to somehow, someway award the claim that the above isn't true, the 2020s will be remembered for one thing and one thing only; Trench Warfare. Building your team has historically started from the trenches but it has never been nearly as emphasized as it has been this decade. From high level investments to positions like Center that usually go ignored to contracts for positions such as Guard that would have made little sense in the 2010s, Trench Warfare is the current NFL Paradigm in order to win games.



Pittsburgh realized this and decided to obtain help to aid Omar Khan in realizing this; Andy Weidl. This is the same Weidl that built those Philly trenches during the mid to late 2010s and all the way up to the end in 2022. That same Andy Weidl has since brought that philosophy to Pittsburgh and it has produced some serious results; Benton being one of many examples.



In short?! Trench Warfare is the current meta of the NFL and, to win consistently, you need to be heavily armed on both sides. Signing Benton was not a bad move at all; doubly so given how this is likely it for Cameron Heyward. If anything, signing Benton long term also awards the Scouting Department as they will not have to invest heavy time into a very loaded 2027 IDL and instead focus on other positions.

 

Winner Winner. Benton's contract only has.... Guarantees: $14 million in full guarantees, all due in 2026 (signing bonus + base salary)

The Steelers can walk away from this contract after paying Benton his $14 million in 2026 guaranteed money and not owe Benton a dime more after this year.

I have to give Khan his props for having Benton sign a 4 year extension with only $14 million guaranteed!!!

 

Benton is a big part of the problem on the run D. It's not all on him, the ILBs deserve some blame... but he gets blown up by Center and Guards on a regular basis. He's average at best at DT. I don't think he should have been signed long term.

 

Dave at the Depot's initial estimate of the structure of this deal was that it was going to be team friendly.

And the real thing was much more team friendly than his estimate. Details below
https://steelersdepot.com/2026/08/new-contract-details-for-dt-keeanu-benton-revealed/

This is basically a low cost 2 year contract without much guarantees. Then team options for an additional 3 years if he works out.

Not unlike the Herbig contract. But better for the team.

IMO, it's so team friendly you kind of have to wonder why he didn't just wait until UFA next year. But even in a cheap deal like this, players still get a life-changing signing bonus (just under $13MM in his case).

We can cut him as early as the end of next season without much pain. He has roster bonuses in 28, 29, and 30. These are usually due in March. So the team has to decide early if they cut him. I think they can still designate a guy a post June 1 cut to spread the dead money out even if they cut him before the roster bonus.
https://overthecap.com/player/keeanu-benton/10873


Here's the team cap picture after the signing.
https://steelersdepot.com/2026/08/2...update-post-keeanu-benton-contract-extension/

Pretty much guaranteed we'll restructure DK. Although IMO, this has been true since the beginning of the offseason.

Probably going to cut Harrison too.

 

That's why moving him to DE is going to help him. There are different responsibilities at that position and he won't be facing double-teams very often. That was always his biggest weakness. He simply wasn't able to anchor against double teams. He uses his quickness to get past blockers and can be disruptive and penetrate when single-blocked.

I think moving him away from nose tackle is best for all involved.

 

Basically, Benton is betting on himself. The team is willing to pay him a good amount, but only if he shows he is worth it. If Benton doesn't live up to the number, the team can walk from the contract.

If he plays well, the team will gladly pay him that number and complete that contract.

Either way, it works well for the team.

 

It's funny...I think he's doing the opposite of betting on himself here. But I 100% agree with your last sentence here!

To me, betting on himself would have been playing out the last year of his contract, betting that'd he do as well or better than last year, then raking in a bigger contract as a UFA who could go to any team in the league. Because there was basically no way he'd get the tag.

Taking this deal to me seems like the opposite of betting on himself. Taking the sure thing and severely limiting the upside potential. But since the sure thing is life-changing money that sets up generational wealth if you're not an absolute idiot with money*. So the "safe" play here is still pretty amazing. Basically a hedge against injury or a drop in performance.

* Sadly, taking young men and giving them a massing influx of cash like this tends to lead to really stupid behavior.