The Pittsburgh Steelers selected former Toledo wide receiver Diontae Johnson 66th overall in the 2019 NFL Draft Thursday night in the third-round. The pick was one of the two the Steelers received from the Oakland Raiders in March in exchange for wide receiver Antonio Brown. With Johnson now a member of the Steelers, it’s time to look at the contract he’s expected to sign with team.
Johnson is expected to sign a four-year contract with the Steelers at some point prior to the start of training camp that should total out at around $3,653,420 and include a signing bonus of around $1,133,420, according to estimates by Over the Cap.
As you can see in the estimated layout of the contract below, Johnson is expected to have a base salary of $495,000 in 2019 with his salary cap charge expected to be around $778,355. Johnson’s remaining salary cap charges in 2020, 2021 and 2022 are expected to be around $868,355, $958,355 and $1,048,355, respectively.
Until Johnson does sign his rookie contract, he shouldn’t factor into the team’s Rule of 51 total as his salary cap charge place holder is the minimum base salary for rookies in 2019, which is $495,000. It is likely that Johnson’s signing bonus will be the only fully guaranteed money that he receives in his rookie contract.
Last year, New York Giants edge-rusher Lorenzo Carter was the 66th overall selection in the 2018 NFL Draft and he signed his contract on May 10 so chances are good that the Steelers will have Johnson signed to his rookie deal very quickly and maybe even before the team starts their annual rookie mini camp a few weeks from now.
| YEAR | BASE SALARY | BONUS PRORATION | ROSTER BONUS | CAP CHARGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | $495,000 | $283,355 | $0 | $778,355 |
| 2020 | $585,000 | $283,355 | $0 | $868,355 |
| 2021 | $675,000 | $283,355 | $0 | $958,355 |
| 2022 | $765,000 | $283,355 | $0 | $1,048,355 |
