You get a new contract. You get a new contract.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a very Oprah type feeling today. In addition to the restructure Antonio Brown has received, the PPG’s Gerry Dulac wrote in his chat this morning the team is nearing a long-term deal with David DeCastro.
His specific answer.
“Yes. They are close to getting it done.”
Ok, so that isn’t super specific but from what I can tell, the first sign the team has made progress with him.
At last check, DeCastro told Chris Bradford there was no talks between he and the team. That report came out on August 22nd.
But as Andrew Brandt has coined, deadlines spur action, and we’re coming up on the team’s self-imposed contract deadline, the start of the regular season.
The monkey wrench is probably Kelechi Osemele’s five year, $58.5 million deal signed in the offseason with the Oakland Raiders. With him staying at guard, it distorted the market, and likely didn’t help DeCastro and the Steelers get any closer to a compromise. DeCastro won’t see that kind of money but will probably receive more than we originally thought, now getting somewhere in the $10-$10.5 million range.
Osemele, however, did not receive a signing bonus and Steelers’ deals almost always include one so it’ll be interesting to see the contract terms in that regard.
A first round pick in 2012 out of Stanford, DeCastro has made 50 career starts in Pittsburgh. He’s started 47 of the past 48 regular season games. Last year, he made his first Pro Bowl and All-Pro team.
