The Pittsburgh Steelers recently re-signed unrestricted free agents quarterback Joshua Dobbs to a one-year contract. Now we know the details related to that deal, as of Thursday morning.
According to NFLPA records and Joel Corry of CBS Sports, Dobbs’ one-year contract that he signed recently with the Steelers totals out at $1.04 million and includes a $50,000 signing bonus. Dobbs’ base salary for 2021 is $990,000, the NFL minimum for his credited seasons.
Dobbs’ contract, as predicted, qualifies as a veteran benefit deal. That means the Steelers’ former fifth-round draft pick out of Tennessee carries a 2021 cap charge of just $900,000. The Steelers effectively used just $120,000 in available 2021 salary cap space to re-sign Dobbs following roster displacement, according to NFLPA data.
The Steelers could have given Dobbs a signing bonus up to the amount of $137,500 for his deal to remain qualified as a veteran benefit contract. That obviously did not happen. So, should Pittsburgh ultimately release Dobbs prior to the start of the 2021 regular season, the Steelers would incur a dead money charge of $50,000. He is expected to compete against quarterback Dwayne Haskins this summer for the third-string quarterback job.
Pittsburgh claimed Dobbs off waivers from the Jacksonville Jaguars just prior to the start of the 2020 regular season. He then proceeded to be the Steelers third-string quarterback all season and was inactive for all but one game, the regular season finale against the Cleveland Browns. While Dobbs did play in that Week 17 game against the Browns, it was only to the tune of nine total snaps. He completed four of five pass attempts in that contest for a whopping two yards, and rushed twice for 20 yards.
In his second season with the Steelers in 2018, Dobbs completed six of his 12 total pass attempts for 43 yards. He played 30 offensive snaps in total that season. In 2019 with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Dobbs didn’t play a snap.
