Have you gotten over the shock of the Pittsburgh Steelers claiming quarterback Zach Mettenberger off of waivers from the San Diego Chargers on Wednesday? If so, here are the contract details related to the transaction.
Being as Mettenberger was claimed off waivers, the Steelers will assume what remains on the original contract he signed with the Tennessee Titans in 2014. That means he’ll earn $600,000 in 2016 and $690,000 in 2017 should he still be on the roster. Being as no prorated signing bonus money is involved, those amounts will also represent Mettenberger’s cap charges in both of those years.
Being as current Steelers quarterback Landry Jones is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent after the 2016 season, Mettenberger will now have a chance to show he has the potential to be the team’s future backup to starter Ben Roethlisberger over the course of this season as he’ll more than likely be asked to run the scout team at times during practices.
With Mettenberger being claimed so late in the preseason, he will not play Thursday night in the team’s game against the Carolina Panthers. In other words, barring injuries to Roethlisberger and Jones this season, we aren’t likely to see Mettenberger take a snap in a game until next year during the preseason.
If you are curious about what will happen with veteran quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, who was placed on the team’s Reserve/Injured list Wednesday in order to make room for the addition of Mettenberger, the one-year contract that he signed with the team included a split-salary clause. According to former NFL agent Joel Corry, Gradkowski’s split salary will be $453,000 in 2016.
Gradkowski has likely played his last snap in the NFL as well and will be an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the season.
