The 2020 NFL Draft will get underway Thursday night and while the Pittsburgh Steelers don’t have a selection scheduled in the first-round, one of their former first-round selections, outside linebacker Bud Dupree, has now signed the franchise tag tender he received from the team ahead of the start of the new league year in March.
Dupree, the Steelers first-round selection in the 2015 NFL draft out of Kentucky, recorded a career-high 11.5 sacks last season. He had 68 total tackles, three passes defensed and four forced fumbles as well.
For his career, Dupree has 31.5 sacks, 200 total tackles nine passes defensed, one interception and six forced fumbles. Last season he earned $9.232 million as part of his fifth-year option in his rookie contract that the Steelers picked up during the 2018 offseason.
As a result of receiving the franchise tag from the Steelers, Dupree is scheduled to earn $15.828 million in 2020. The Steelers are reportedly hoping to sign Dupree to a long-term contract extension at some point before this year’s July 15 deadline to do so. If the Steelers fail to sign Dupree to an extension prior to July 15, the outside linebacker must then play under the franchise tag amount in 2020.
