Steelers To Sign Morgan Burnett
The Steelers will sign defensive back Morgan Burnett, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’s a three-year deal worth close to $14.5MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Burnett just wrapped up a four-year, $24.75MM deal with the Packers and he was said to be seeking a deal worth more than $8.5MM per year at one point. He fell short of that goal, but he still did well considering how stagnant the free agent safety market has been this year.
In eight years with the Packers, Burnett logged snaps at cornerback, free safety, and even linebacker. Heading into free agency, the Bears and Browns had some interest, but it’s not clear if they ever made offers to him. Ultimately, Burnett chose the Steelers because he wanted the chance to play for two historic franchises that also value veteran leadership, Fowler hears (on Twitter).
With the Steelers, Burnett seems likely to take over at one of the starting safety spots in place of Mike Mitchell. He’ll also help fill in some gaps at cornerback and free safety now that Will Gay is out of the picture.
Burnett, 29, has been an effective and versatile player throughout his career, but injuries have been an issue. He has not played a full season since 2012 and he has missed ten regular season games over the past three seasons.
News of Burnett signing with the Steelers was first reported by former Packer James Jones (Twitter link).
AFC Contract Details: Butler, Johnson, Bridgewater
Here are figures on some of the recent contracts signed around the NFL, with all links going to Twitter unless noted otherwise.
- Malcolm Butler, CB (Titans): Five years, $61.25MM. $10MM signing bonus. $3.5MM and $10.5MM guaranteed base salaries for full guarantee of $24MM (max value $25.1MM). $11MM 2020 salary becomes guaranteed on fifth day of league year (via Ben Volin of the Boston Globe).
- Trumaine Johnson, CB (Jets): $20MM signing bonus. Base salaries of $6MM (2018), $8MM (2019), $11MM (2020), $13MM (2021), $14.5MM (2022) (via Calvin Watkins of Newsday.com).
- Teddy Bridgewater, QB (Jets): $5MM base salary, $500K signing bonus, $500K workout bonus. $9MM in incentives include $250K/game he plays at least half the snaps, $250K for 2500 yards, $500K for 2751 yards, $1.25M for 3001 yards, $250K for 10 touchdowns, $500K for 16 touchdowns, $1.25M for 21 touchdowns, $2.5M for half the snaps and playoffs (via Albert Breer of The MMQB).
- Donte Moncrief, WR (Jaguars): $5.6MM base salary, $4MM salary, $9.6MM fully guaranteed. $2MM worth of incentives (via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle).
- Jon Bostic, LB (Steelers): Two years, worth up to $4MM. $1.4MM signing bonus (via ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler).
- Zach Fulton, C (Texans): $13MM guaranteed, $5MM roster bonus. Base salaries of $1.5MM (2018, guaranteed), $6.5MM (2019, guaranteed), $6.5MM (2020), $6.5MM (2021). $31K per-game bonus, $200K workout base (via Wilson).
S Michael Thomas Visits Steelers
The Steelers hosted safety Michael Thomas on a visit, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic tweets. This is the first known visit for Thomas, who spent five seasons with the Dolphins.
However, Kaboly reports Thomas left Pittsburgh’s facility without a contract. Both sides could be surveying their options, and the Steelers are in need of safety help.
Pittsburgh cut longtime back-line starter Mike Mitchell, though the Steelers are interested in a reunion at a lower rate, and has not seen its second-round investment in Sean Davis pay off just yet. Despite restructuring the deals of several players, the Steelers still have barely $2MM in cap space.
Thomas, who turned 29 over the weekend, served as a part-time starter and full-time special-teamer in Miami. He made 24 starts (12 in 2015) during his tenure with the Dolphins.
Steelers Sign LB Jon Bostic
The Steelers have signed LB Jon Bostic to a two-year deal, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Pittsburgh has been quiet since free agency officially opened earlier this week, and Bostic represents the club’s first free agent signing of the new league year.
And it’s a signing the team needed to make. As PFR observed last month, the Steelers’ top priority this offseason was to find a way to replace the production of Ryan Shazier, who will miss the entirety of the 2018 season (at least). Pittsburgh’s run defense collapsed after Shazier’s horrific injury last season, as five of the Steelers’ final six opponents surpassed 100 rushing yards, and the team yielded 164 yards on the ground to the Jaguars in the AFC Divisional Round matchup, damaging the franchise’s hopes of parlaying its first bye in seven years into at least a return to the AFC title game.
Bostic, whom the Bears selected in the second round of the 2013 draft, was a solid, if unspectacular, performer for Chicago during his first two years in the league. He was traded to the Patriots prior to the 2015 campaign but was not as productive in New England as he had been in the Windy City. However, after spending all of 2016 on IR following a trade to Detroit, he turned in a strong 2017 season for the Colts, starting 14 games and posting a career-high 97 tackles along with one sack, one fumble recovery, and three passes defended. He also graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 40 linebacker in the NFL, a career best, and he was listed as PFR’s 14th-best FA linebacker in this year’s free agent class.
Unless the Steelers make another move either in free agency or the draft, Bostic will pair with Vince Williams to form the starting ILB tandem for Pittsburgh in 2018.
Why Steelers Extended Jordan Berry Early
- The Steelers curiously signed restricted free agent punter Jordan Berry to a one-year extension with a similar salary to the RFA tender, and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com has explained the club’s rationale. Berry, a native Australian, would have been considered unemployed if he returned to his home country without an RFA tender in place, meaning his work authorization paperwork could have taken extra time. Given that he’s getting married this year, Berry didn’t want to deal with any confusion, so Pittsburgh obliged him by giving him a one-year deal, the value of which has sent been altered to match the original round tender figure of $1.907MM.
Matthew Slater To Visit Steelers
Having made seven straight Pro Bowls and appearing on the 2016 All-Pro team, Matthew Slater has been one of the most decorated pure special-teamers in NFL history. He could be changing teams.
At least, he’s considering it. The longtime Patriots specialist is visiting the Steelers on Saturday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Slater has played his entire 10-year career in New England.
The 32-year-old gunner agreed to stay with the Patriots last year on a one-year, $1.8MM deal but is now a free agent. Pittsburgh, which is limited in cap space, will not have to spend much to acquire Slater. But the Patriots, who re-signed another ST-only player earlier this week in Nate Ebner, have long valued special teams. So it would be interesting if they deemed a core member of those units expendable.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/15/18
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Re-signed: OL Vinston Painter
Houston Texans
- Re-signed: DL Angelo Blackson
- Re-signed: LB Brian Peters
Los Angeles Rams
- Re-signed: OLB Garrett Sickels
Miami Dolphins
- Re-signed: LS John Denney
New York Giants
- Re-signed: DT Robert Thomas (ERFA)
- Signed: CB Curtis Riley
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Re-signed: RB Fitzgerald Toussaint
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/14/18
Here are today’s restricted free agent and exclusive-rights free agent tender decisions, with the list being updated throughout the day. All links go to Twitter unless otherwise noted:
RFAs
Tendered at the second-round level ($2.914MM):
- Cowboys DE David Irving (story)
- Giants: C Brett Jones (story via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY)
- Jets: Quincy Enunwa (story)
Tendered at original round level ($1.907MM):
- Browns: DT Jamie Meder
- Chiefs: DE Rakeem Nunez-Roches (via Adam Caplan of SiriusXM)
- Jets: OL Brent Qvale, TE Neal Sterling
- Lions: WR T.J. Jones (via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com)
- Rams: OLB Matt Longacre (via Rapoport)
- Seahawks: DE Dion Jordan (story)
- Texans: C Greg Mancz
Non-tendered:
- Buccaneers: DE Ryan Russell (via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times)
- Chargers: LB Josh Keyes
- Chiefs: LB Ramik Wilson (via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star)
- Dolphins: OL Anthony Steen
- Falcons: RB Terron Ward (via D. Orlando Ledbetter)
- Jaguars: S Peyton Thompson, RB Tyler Gaffney
- Jets: DL Xavier Cooper
- Lions: RB Zach Zenner, DE Brandon Copeland, DL Zac Kerin
- Packers: LB Joe Thomas (via Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
- Panthers: WR Kaelin Clay, CB Ladarius Gunter, TE Scott Simonson, OL David Yankey (via David Newton of ESPN.com)
- Rams: LB Cameron Lynch, T Darrell Williams
- Saints: WR Brandon Coleman, DT David Parry
- Seahawks: RB Thomas Rawls, RB Mike Davis (via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times)
- Steelers: WR Eli Rogers (story via Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review)
- Texans: LB Brian Peters, DE Angelo Blackson, LB Ben Heeney
- Titans: S Curtis Riley (via Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com), RB Bishop Sankey (via Chris Tomasson)
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Browns: QB Kevin Hogan
- Colts: TE Erik Swoope, G Jeremy Vujnovich, CB Christopher Milton, LS Luke Rhodes
- Dolphins: C Jake Brendel, LB Mike Hull, CB Jordan Lucas
- Giants: DT Robert Thomas (via Vacchiano)
- Jets: S Doug Middleton FB Lawrence Thomas TE Eric Tomlinson
- Lions: QB Jake Rudock, DT Christian Ringo
- Packers: WR Geronimo Allison (via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com)
- Rams: K Sam Ficken (via Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com)
- Raiders: LB/DE James Cowser, S Erik Harris, G/T Denver Kirkland
- Ravens: LB Patrick Onwuasor, WR Quincy Adeboyejo, OL Matt Skura, OL Maurquice Shakir
- Seahawks: RB J.D. McKissic, DE Quinton Jefferson, DE Branden Jackson (via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times)
Non-tendered:
- Chiefs: DB Keith Baxter (via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star)
- Giants: TE Ryan O’Malley, LB Curtis Grant (via Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com)
- Lions: DT Rodney Coe, P Kasey Redfern (via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com)
- Packers: CB Herb Waters, LS Taybor Pepper (via Silverstein)
- Saints: C Jack Allen
Steelers Release DB Robert Golden
The Steelers have released safety Robert Golden, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Pittsburgh will save nearly $1.5MM against the salary cap by parting ways with Golden. He’s not the only veteran defensive back the Steelers have released in cost-cutting moves, as William Gay and Mike Mitchell are also on their way out.
Golden, 27, has spent his entire six-year career with the Steelers. In 2017, Golden appeared in all 16 games, posting 11 tackles and one interception in that time.
Steelers Interested In Bringing Back Mike Mitchell
While Mike Mitchell is set to test the open market, a return to Pittsburgh is still in the cards. Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports (via Twitter) that coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert spoke to the veteran safety today and expressed interesting in bring him back in 2018. While Mitchell is planning on hitting free agency, Pelissero notes that the “door remains open.” The veteran was released by the Steelers earlier this week.
The 30-year-old has spent the past four seasons in Pittsburgh, where he’s started each of his 61 games. Mitchell appeared in 13 games this past season, finishing with 53 tackles and two passes defended. Pro Football Focus ultimately ranked him 62nd among 87 safety candidates.
Mitchell was slated to carry a $5MM salary in 2018, which was not workable for the Steelers given their limited room. The safety will have to compete with a deep free agent class and declining skills in pursuit of a new deal, but he should be able to find work as a veteran presence in the secondary. The Steelers could apparently be that team, as Mitchell would realistically be an upgrade over some of their current options, including Robert Golden and J.J. Wilcox.