Steelers and Alejandro Villanueva Not Close on a New Contract

https://pit.247sports.com/Bolt/Repo...llanueva-arent-close-to-new-deal-52908789/Amp

He's the last guy you'd think money would be the holdup for. I hope they get something worked out soon. I'd hate to lose him now.

 

Given Hawkins current progression in addition to his possible "sophomore surge", I do not think a deal will get done given the fact that Hawkins may have been a contingency plan should negotiations bewteen Big Al and the Front Office not come to terms.

 

Haven't read the article, but Would be willing to bet the number of years is a sticking point. He's already 28-29 so a 5-6 year contract isn't in the Steelers best interest.

 

Yup! From what Gilbert days, looks like it's about years.

Quote:

“Al is not a money guy,” Gilbert said. “He doesn’t want to go anywhere else. He loves the coaches here. He loves the O-line here. Of course, he wants to get something done. He doesn’t want to end up anywhere else. He wants to be a Steeler for the next several years. His demeanor and approach, he’s handling it very well.”

 

Blah, blah, blah....

One news guy who has no knowledge of the negotiations said that.

Non story. He will be offered a fair contract.

 

I don't get your first sentence. He plays pro football and currently his salary for his position and skill set is way too low. They are working on a deal and here is the point.... This will be AV's ONLY Big contract due to his age. He gets one shot so he should make the most of it. Hopefully it gets done.

Cajun

 

pay the man. since we lost one tackle to retirement we need him and hawkins.

 

yea but we know what we got with Big Al, he could end up being really good at his position. Overall I thought he did a good to great job against some of the best defensive ends. I know they are high on Hawkins but never seen him play a down. They need to keep both of them. Without doing the research does anybody know how many sacks he gave up.?

 

He gave up 4.5 sacks last year and the previous year I believe it was 7.5 .. So he has improved from year to year. Would be a nice problem to have both Hawkins and AV .. Just don't see it happening

 

AV will be signed to a 5 year deal before the regular season starts, that's a certainty.....

 

He cant hold out even if he wanted too, he has an exclusive rights contract, he isnt that kind of a guy anyway, he isnt a worn out tackle at 29 he only has about 30 starts in his career which says he has a lot of games left in him to play for another 8 years or more, and he will have a new contract before game one of the 2017 season....

 

And I think last years sacks were front of the season.

 

This whole line of talk is blown out of proportion based on one sentence from some reporter who doesn't have a clue.

WTF

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday

 

It's amazing how many of the Pittsburgh writers think he's a really good LT after calling him just a guy earlier.

He's continues to get better at a position he's played for coming up on 3 seasons now.

 

I don't even remember if he played when he was an Eagle.
Maybe our coaches are better at getting the most out of a guy?

 

I hope you're right, but I'm not sure that's even likely, let alone a certainty

 

He was in as a DE in a few preseason games...that's when Tomlin spotted him.

 

Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette continues to report that Villanueva has had contract talks with the Steelers during the offseason.

 

i look for hawkins to get some guard work this year too.

 

Pretty important spot (LT) for a "win now" team to rely on a brand new guy who has never played a snap in meaningful football. I think a deal gets done, but it's just a matter of contract length. AV has improved tremendously and deserves a legit contract. The Steelers asked him to switch, he said OK and has done a great job, not its their turn to show the love. He was a TE, DL, or whatever just a couple seasons ago and now he's a consistent starter at LT, I don't see how they are waffling tbh.

https://overthecap.com/position/left-tackle/

see where AV is on that list. I can bet he's not looking for $10mil + money, but he has to be at least in that $5-8mil discussion. Bottom line: Steelers said hey lets try this and he has proven his mettle there. No surprise given his background. Now it's time for the FO to reciprocate.

 

I believe a number of people misunderstoos my post pretaining to Al's deal.


I do not think a deal will get done.... for the time being. I would imagine though it does get done later; possibly either training camp or the end of the preseason.


Either way though, a guy like Hawkins who had shown considerable potential and a quality starter in Big Al gives us a better chance to take on New England.

 

Haley said he could play both tackle and guard. However, I would rather want BJ Finney get work as a guard.



To me, he seems to be Ramons heir when Ramon elects to retire.

 

Villanueva is an exclusive rights free agent, which means the Steelers are the only team he is eligible to play for this season.

That's the long and short of it...

I'm sure the Steelers want to give him a fair contract. He came in here as a DE and was transitioned to the LT position. I would like to see him around for another 4, but i'm sure his agent is pushing for more years of security. Oh, and don't think the money isn't an issue either.

Tuitt needs a new contract. Shazier is coming up. Oh, and their is Bell.

Villanueva will be a RFA next season. The Steelers hold the cards and have to watch the bottom line due to the three just mentioned.

 

i expect them to play finney at C and G and hawkins at T and G. they like mihalik too, also a former DE. they like those long tall LT types. they need to pay AV and keep him around because we have some others aging too. munch preparing them to cover different positions keeps us ready at all times. we are in a good place with the O-line and i hope it continues. not long ago this was a weak point for this team.

 

I don't think a deal gets done this year. Other more urgent higher priorities are due.

Bells cap hit is too high. They can carry it but they really want to give him a long term deal lowering his cap hit. IF and only IF they are able to lower Bells number will they look to AV.

If they do address AVs contract I a small deal, 2 yr 6 mil with a 685K signing bonus. Reason- because he isn't good enough yet to command a higher deal but they like AV, and line his continued improvement so maybe they'll throw him a few extra dollars like they did AB and in a couple years maybe give him a 4 yr 25 mil dollar extension.

Just some thoughts ......

Cajun