If you follow the NFLPA salary cap data report, you may have noticed that the Pittsburgh Steelers lost $619,200 in salary cap space on Tuesday as they went from $3,166,080 down to $2,546,880 in available space. This recent deduction was the annual place holder charge for offseason workout bonus charges.
The league charged all 32 teams $619,200 and that figure is determined by multiplying 80 players by $215 per day and then by 36, the number of organized team activity sessions. This place holder remains on the books until the actual workout bonus amounts for each team are calculated.
This charge on Tuesday was expected to take place.
The Steelers currently have 66 players under contract per the NFLPA report and that number does not include running back Stevan Ridley, who reportedly just came to terms on a one-year contract with the Steelers.
Per the NFL CBA:
Section 3. Payment: Each player shall receive at least the following amounts per day for any workouts or classroom instruction in which he participates pursuant to a Club’s voluntary offseason workout program, provided the player fulfills the Club’s reasonable offseason workout requirements: $155 (2011–12 League Years), $175 (2013–14 League Years), $195 (2015–16 League Years), $215 (2017–18 League Years), and $235 (2019–20 League Years), respectively. Players are required to complete three out of four scheduled workouts, including any scheduled OTAs, per week in order to be paid for any workout the player completes in that week, except that if there are less than four (4) scheduled workouts in a week the player will be paid for each workout in which he participates. A player can only be paid for offseason workouts pursuant to the terms of an executed offseason workout addendum, which shall be part of the player’s NFL Player Contract. The NFL and the NFLPA shall agree upon a standard offseason workout addendum, which shall be incorporated as an Appendix to this Agreement. Any player under contract to a Club at the time of the start of the offseason workout program shall be invited to participate in the Club’s program. A player subject to a Required Tender by a Club, but who has not signed a Player Contract, or an Unrestricted Free Agent whose Player Contract with that Club has expired may be invited to participate in that Club’s offseason workout program, but must sign an Offseason Workout and Minicamp Participation Agreement prior to his participation in such activities. Players who are under contract or subject to a Required Tender to an NFL Club and who participate in a Club’s offseason workout program may also receive expenses for travel, board, and lodging subject to the terms and conditions set forth in Article 13, Section 6(e)(iv)(3).
