The Pittsburgh Steelers now have their entire 2019 draft class signed as cornerback Justin Layne has now signed his rookie four-year contract as of Thursday afternoon.
Layne, the Steelers second of two third-round selections this year, was the lone member of this year’s draft class to be unsigned once the team started their annual OTA practices a few weeks ago.
Layne, an underclassman who converted from wide receiver to cornerback during his 2016 freshman season at Michigan State, measured in at this year’s scouting combine at 6016, 192-pounds with 33-inch arms and 9 1/4-inch hands. He ran his 40-yard-dash in Indianapolis in 4.5-seconds and posted a 37.5-inch vertical jump in addition to an 11’2″ broad jump. His short shuttle time at the combine was 4.09-seconds and his 3-cone time was 6.9-seconds.
Speculation from Over the Cap is that Layne signed a four-year contract that totals out at around $3,683,180 and include a signing bonus of roughly $922,180. Those numbers provided would result in a 2019 salary cap charge for Layne of $725,545.
The holdup in getting Layne signed might have been related to offset or guaranteed money language in his contract. Whatever the reason, he and the rest of the Steelers 2019 draft picks are now all signed way before the team’s OTA practices end.
Last season the Steelers didn’t have all of their 2018 draft class signed until July 24 as that’s when first-round selection Terrell Edmunds finally inked his rookie four-year contract.
| YEAR | BASE SALARY | BONUS PRORATION | ROSTER BONUS | CAP CHARGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | $495,000 | $230,545 | $0 | $725,545 |
| 2020 | $660,000 | $230,545 | $0 | $890,545 |
| 2021 | $763,000 | $230,545 | $0 | $993,545 |
| 2022 | $843,000 | $230,545 | $0 | $1,073,545 |
