The Pittsburgh Steelers re-signed veteran quarterback Bruce Gradkowski to a one-year contract on Monday and as expected, the deal is one that qualifies for the Minimum Salary Benefit, judging by the NFLPA’s updated salary cap report for the team.
Gradkowski will have a base salary in 2016 of $885,000 and in addition to that he was given the maximum signing bonus of $80,000. As defined by the CBA, Gradkowski’s contract qualifies for the Minimum Salary Benefit so that means his cap charge in 2016 will be all of $680,000.
The Steelers have utilized the Minimum Salary Benefit several times over the years with long snapper Greg Warren and linebacker Steven Johnson both receiving similar contracts this offseason.
After Gradkowski was signed and roster displacement took place in the Steelers Rule of 51, the result of the transaction only ate up $155,000 of the team’s available salary cap space.
As of Wednesday morning, the NFLPA has the Steelers $3,419,520 under the cap and that’s still plenty of room for them to sign their seven draft picks and 10 undrafted free agents.
As for Gradkowski’s immediate future, he will now battle fourth-year quarterback Landry Jones this offseason for the right to back-up starter Ben Roethlisberger during the 2016 season.
Bruce Gradkowski Contract Numbers
| Year | Base Salary | Signing Bonus | Roster Bonus | Cap Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $885,000 | $80,000 | $0 | $680,000 |
