As of Thursday morning, the new scheduled date for the start of the Pittsburgh Steelers 2020 training camp is July 28 and that’s because the team’s previously scheduled Hall of Fame Game against the Dallas Cowboys has now been officially postponed until 2021. With a little more than month now remaining until the Steelers start training camp, it will be interesting to see if the team can get all six of their 2020 draft picks signed before then.
To date, the Steelers are one of 15 teams that has yet to sign any of their 2020 draft picks. In case you’re curious the 17 teams that have signed at least one draft pick to date include the Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks, Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans, Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, and the New York Giants. The Patriots, by the way, became the first team this year to sign their entire draft class to their rookie deals over a month ago. The Colts and Bills also have their entire draft classes signed now as well.
So, is it a big deal that the Steelers are one of the 15 teams yet to sign any members of their 2020 draft class? No, not at all. The coronavirus pandemic is obviously to blame for the numerous delayed draft pick signings this year and thus it might be quite a bit longer until the Steelers have any members of this year’s class signed to their four-year rookie contracts.
It’s quite possible that the Steelers will wait until the start of training camp to get this year’s draft class signed. For starters, they’ll likely want to give each player a complete physical before signing so that could delay the process. Time will tell.
Rookie draft pick contracts are slotted when it comes to rookie contract totals and signing bonuses and while several players selected in the top 50 will have negotiation leeway when it comes to minor things such as offset language in their deals, it’s hard to imagine that Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool, selected 49th overall this year, being one of those with much bargaining power. His rookie contract, much like the five other Steelers players drafted after he was this year, should be fairly cut and dry deals and thus not much of anything to negotiate.
Below is what the contracts for each of the Steelers draft picks should closely resemble, according to Over the Cap projections. While these bonus amounts might not be exact, they should be damn close.
As previously written about on the site several weeks ago, the signing of the Steelers draft picks should only use up a little less than $1 million in 2020 salary cap space after roster displacement takes place. As of Thursday evening, the Steelers are $5,741,149 under the salary cap.
| Estimated Steelers 2020 Draft Class Contracts | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Claypool – Total Amount $6,616,636 – Signing Bonus $2,372,100 | |||
| Year | Base Salary | Prorated Bonus | Cap Number |
| 2020 | $610,000 | $593,025 | $1,203,025 |
| 2021 | $910,756 | $593,025 | $1,503,781 |
| 2022 | $1,211,512 | $593,025 | $1,804,537 |
| 2023 | $1,512,268 | $593,025 | $2,105,293 |
| Alex Highsmith – Total Amount $4,499,400 – Signing Bonus $832,292 | |||
| Year | Base Salary | Prorated Bonus | Cap Number |
| 2020 | $610,000 | $208,073 | $818,073 |
| 2021 | $814,518 | $208,073 | $1,022,591 |
| 2022 | $1,019,036 | $208,073 | $1,227,109 |
| 2023 | $1,223,554 | $208,073 | $1,431,627 |
| Anthony McFarland Jr. – Total Amount $4,017,432 – Signing Bonus $722,432 | |||
| Year | Base Salary | Prorated Bonus | Cap Number |
| 2020 | $610,000 | $180,608 | $790,608 |
| 2021 | $780,000 | $180,608 | $960,608 |
| 2022 | $895,000 | $180,608 | $1,075,608 |
| 2023 | $1,010,000 | $180,608 | $1,190,608 |
| Kevin Dotson – Total Amount $3,953,812 – Signing Bonus $658,812 | |||
| Year | Base Salary | Prorated Bonus | Cap Number |
| 2020 | $610,000 | $164,703 | $774,703 |
| 2021 | $780,000 | $164,703 | $944,703 |
| 2022 | $895,000 | $164,703 | $1,059,703 |
| 2023 | $1,010,000 | $164,703 | $1,174,703 |
| Antoine Brooks Jr. – Total Amount $3,465,832 – Signing Bonus $170,832 | |||
| Year | Base Salary | Prorated Bonus | Cap Number |
| 2020 | $610,000 | $42,708 | $652,708 |
| 2021 | $780,000 | $42,708 | $822,708 |
| 2022 | $895,000 | $42,708 | $937,708 |
| 2023 | $1,010,000 | $42,708 | $1,052,708 |
| Carlos Davis – Total Amount $3,388,504 – Signing Bonus $93,504 | |||
| Year | Base Salary | Prorated Bonus | Cap Number |
| 2020 | $610,000 | $23,376 | $633,376 |
| 2021 | $780,000 | $23,376 | $803,376 |
| 2022 | $895,000 | $23,376 | $918,376 |
| 2023 | $1,010,000 | $23,376 | $1,033,376 |
