Steelers sign Harrison -- good -- but did Brown break the salary cap?

… Ron Cook argues that Brown signing senseless 

The signing of James Harrison means that the career of Jarvis Jones as a Steeler has ended. Or at least it should.

The Steelers made a good move, inking the 38-year-old outside linebacker to a two-year deal worth $3.8 million. Harrison carried them the final weeks of the season, but the truth is that the New England game illustrated the need for an infusion of talent at the OLB position.

GM Kevin Colbert complained that there are not many good athletes at those positions any more. However, his job is to find one and use a first-round pick to draft him.

Still, the defense needs more than that. Another corner would be very helpful.

Cook argument

Post-Gazette columnist Ron Cook complained about the signing of Antonio Brown, arguing against it from a number of perspectives, but chiefly about how it impacts the salary cap and the possibility of signing Steeler free agents, future draft picks, and others.

Cook argued that it made no sense for the Steelers to do this right now particularly since they had him under contract for another season. "But I don’t get why the Steelers gave Antonio Brown a four-year, $68 million contract extension through 2021, making him the NFL’s highest-paid wide receiver. He still had a year remaining on the five-year, $42.5 million contract extension he signed in 2012 … If they couldn’t have worked out a more salary cap-friendly, long-term contract with him, they still would have had him next season. If they couldn’t do a satisfactory long-term deal with him after the 2017 season, they could have put their franchise tag on him for 2018."

In essence, he argued that providing a contract like that for someone who touches the ball just ten times a game, as opposed to giving one to the QB who does every play and Le'Veon Bell, who averaged more than 20 touches a game last year, makes no sense.

Cook also argues that the success of Brady and the Patriots argues against giving a receiver that kind of money. "The New England Patriots have won most of their five Super Bowls in the Bill Belichick-Brady era without a highly paid receiver. They won this past season with a former lacrosse player from Penn State."

Bouchette, Cook disagree on salary Cap

However, he and his P-G colleague, Ed Bouchette, disagree on how much money the Steelers have left under the salary cap, with Cook arguing that they used too much of it with Bell.

According to Cook, "After the Brown deal and the Bell tag, the Steelers have a little less than $19 million left under the projected salary cap for next season, according to Spotrac."

Bouchette disagrees, using different source for his numbers. "According to the NFL Players Association, the Steelers have $147,644,364 invested under the cap in their top 51 salaried players – the number that counts until the season begins. They also have, according to the union, a carryover cap room of $3,269,367 from last season. That would push them to about $23 million in room under the cap. The salary cap tracking site, OverTheCap.com, lists the Steelers with $23,615,733 in cap room," he wrote Wednesday afternoon on the PG website.

The signing of Harrison would bring that under $20 million.

Bouchette also wrote that the cap this year is $167 million, which is $12 million more than last year.

Cook noted that the Steelers want to re-sign defensive lineman Stephen Tuitt to another contract, a big one. They also want to sign tackle Al Villanueva, who is a free agent but has started at left tackle, to a long-term contract.

They should also try to sign inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons, a 10-year veteran who has been their leading tackler for many years. He would like to test the free market and would need to take a pay cut to stay, but that may work if enough cap space is available. They should not lose their top tackler especially when no one is available on the roster to make up that difference.

In addition, they need room to sign all of their draft picks.

Sign Landry Jones?

Bouchette, a lover of Landry Jones, notes that the team has enough space to re-sign Jones.

Seriously?

Why would they do that? If Landry has proven anything, it is that he will never be a quality starting QB -- and is even a shaky backup -- in the NFL.

They already have Zack Metterger, who has starting QB experience, and if they draft someone decent, that would give them some better potential than they have with LJ.

Should be an interesting few months.