The Steelers salary cap

ESPN is reporting they have 8.2 millon under the cap, Ed Bouchette seems to think they will try to sign Pouncey to a contract extension.

 

I'm thinking Allen is up first as his will be easier.

 

The last thing we want is for Allen to have a breakout season this year and then demand an extortionate contract.

The Pouncey debate will rage on and on... we've shown we can live without him, so I guess (whilst taking all the other factors into consideration), it may really come down to how much he wants to really hang around here.

 

allen and extend heyward also.

 

i read we are thinking to bring back kiesel , because tuitt need condotioning and he will not probaly be ready to start the season ? is this real ? don't we signed cam thomas ?

 

Me too, but the price of centers is skyrocketing, isn't it? Pouncey will undoubtedly get a better offer elsewhere. We don't have tons of money to be throwing around. I think the discount he'd have to take to stay here is unrealistic. He's a Steeler, but he's not a 34 year old, half-adopted-son-of-Dan-Rooney-Steeler-or-Die like Ike Taylor. He will want to cash in on his second contract, and he deserves to.

Jason Worilds and Cortez Allen may have to prove themselves. Worilds could be the next big thing, or he could fizzle out with a series of injuries like Woodley. Or he could simply turn out not as good as we hoped. I don't buy that, though; I think he's the real deal as a player. Despite the fact he's rarely missed a game, it's the many small injuries that concern me. Seems like he's always banged up. Allen has had some ups and downs, and seems very promising, but the fact is that we haven't seen very much of him. When you're about to give a guy a big contract you want to know he's worth it, and in Allen's case we have no choice but to make assumptions. How long has he been starting? And how long has he been covering the opponents' #1 receiver? Not long enough. He could be Ike Taylor with hands (!), or he could be Chad Scott.

Because of his knee, Pouncey too might have to prove himself a bit, although maybe not as much. I think after they start hitting, we'll know for sure if he's his old self again.

Then you have the issue of position importance. I value the center position - I really do! And I love that Munchak does too, and came out and said how much he loves Pouncey's game. But more than your top CB? More than a Steelers OLB? I don't know. I'm not in the "Who needs Pouncey when we have Velasco/Wallace" camp, but at this point I'd rather deal with mediocrity at C than have a mediocre secondary or pass rush.

I believe Cam Heyward already has proven himself. He's at an important position. We don't have a replacement. He's everything we need. I'd start there, and try to get him at a lower price before he gets TOO big like we did with Antonio Brown.

After that, I don't know. I think Worilds is next on my list. For Allen, this is probably something the coaches that see him practice would know a lot more about than me. If they really have faith in him, I'd endorse extending him now, assuming it wasn't too much. For Pouncey, I hate to say it, but for the money he'll demand, the best option might be to let him play out the year, look for a replacement in the 2015 draft, and take the 3rd round comp pick in 2016.

 

I think the Velasco ship has sailed,looks like Cody Wallace is our back up
center, I am puzzled?

 

You're right. I said it in a confusing way. I was quoting what people were saying last season. We got by with a decent center like Velasco, so why pay Pouncey, even if he is great?

 

let's not forget if beachum is the guy at LT we will have to pay the guy at some point too.

 

I do think that our intention is to extend Pouncey, and it should be. I bet we wait till we see how his knee holds up this season though. If he looks like his old self, we ought to lock him up. Kelce for the Eagles is signed for 6yrs/37.5mil (13 guaranteed), Mack (CLE) is signed for 5yrs/42mil (24 guaranteed), and Mangold as a 7yr/54mil contract (16.1 guaranteed). Pouncey is on these guys' level and will probably be seeking a contract in this neighborhood. With all of the complaining about the OLine, we can't let our best lineman walk without offering him a nice contract. The rest is up to him of course.

I don't like us going for a contract like Mack's for Pouncey, but maybe something closer to Kelce's or Mangold's with more guaranteed? 6yr/40-45mil with like 20-22mil guaranteed sounds decent for both sides. Will that get it done though? idk.

As for this offseason, I would definitely like to see Allen locked up for a while. I wouldn't break the bank, but if we get it done before the season I don't think we will have to. Heyward is another HUGE priority, but we exercised the 5th year option so we bought ourselves some time with him. I bet we get him done after the season. Ben's could be an option this offseason too... I guess we will see. One of these guys will end up getting an extension before the season starts IMO.

 

I think we can play an interesting bit of "moneyball" with Beach. If he steps up and turns into a solid LT for us this season, I think we can get him signed to a very modest contract for a left tackle. I doubt he gets overpaid in the open market since he is somewhat of a "misfit" in that he is not the prototypical size for the position. If we can get ourselves a good LT below average market value, it will allow us to spend the extra money that we theoretically saved elsewhere.