It took a few days, but some reliable contract numbers for wide receiver Markus Wheaton are now starting to emerge.
Wheaton, who signed a free agent contract with the Chicago Bears a few days ago, is scheduled to earn a max of $11 million over two years with $5 million of that being guaranteed, according to Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times. The former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver can earn bonuses for receptions and receiving yards per the report.
Judging by the those early numbers, one can easily speculate that Wheaton’s deal with the Bears might have, at best, a fifth-round value when it comes to the compensatory draft pick formula.
As I posted on Saturday, the Steelers loss of linebacker Lawrence Timmons to the Miami Dolphins on Friday is expected to hold a fifth-round value when it comes to compensatory draft picks for 2018 being as he is a 10-year veteran.
It will now be interesting to see if the Steelers lose any more of their unrestricted free agents to other teams for above minimum salaries and especially linebacker Jarvis Jones, who it appears as though hasn’t received any interest from other teams as the first weekend of the 2017 league year draws to a close.
The Steelers, as all of you know, have yet to sign any outside unrestricted free agents.
