As of today, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown is the highest paid wide receiver in NFL history. The Steelers locked up Browns services through the 2021 NFL season with a four-year, $68 million deal.
Steelers for life #Boomin pic.twitter.com/LYcCi4fW8U
— AB (@AB84) February 27, 2017
An extension for Brown has been in the works for a while, with Pittsburgh even reworking his contract before last season to move $4 million from his base 2017 salary to 2016. This is Brown’s third contract with the Steelers who drafted him in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft out of Central Michigan.
The 28 year-old wideout is worth every penny. He just finished his fourth consecutive 1,200-plus-yard season and his third straight double-digit TD season. In all, Brown has racked up five seasons of 1,108 yards or more in his seven-year career and caught 106 or more passes four times. If he’s not the absolute best wide receiver in the league, he’s in the conversation with only two other men and those guys are named Julio Jones and Odell Beckham Jr.
The #Steelers and WR Antonio Brown have reached an agreement for him to be the highest paid WR, source said. $15M-plus per year.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 27, 2017
Brown has already caught 50 touchdowns in his career and will, barring injury, surpass 1,000 catches in the 2017-18 season. In fact, he’s within striking distance of 10,000 yards receiving if he matches his yardage total from 2014 or 2015.
Any hope other AFC teams had of the Three Bs getting split up ended when the Steelers also announced Le’Veon Bell would get their franchise tag. Bell was hit with the exclusive tender version of the tag, which means he can only negotiate with the Steelers and cannot sign an offer sheet with any other team.
Though not officially calculated, the tag should be worth more than $12 million for Bell. Obviously, he and the Steelers will be working on a long term deal before the franchise tag deadline on July 15.
Other players expected to be tagged by Wednesday deadline include Kirk Cousins, Le'Veon Bell, Kawann Short, Melvin Ingram, Trumaine Johnson.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 27, 2017
Bell has been suspended twice over the last two season, but played so well when he was on the field Pittsburgh had little choice than to stick Bell with the tag for fear of losing him to another team. In just 12 games last season Bell rushed for 1,268 yards, averaged 4.9 yards per carry, scored seven rushing touchdown, caught 75 passes for 616 yards and scored two touchdowns receiving.
In his four years in the league, Bell has already scored 31 total touchdowns and gained 6,050 yards from scrimmage. Last season he averaged a combined 157 yards per game.
As of right now, Bell doesn’t seem to have any off-the-field issues on the horizon (and the issues he had were just pot, which the NFL shouldn’t be policing anyway). While the exclusive rights tag isn’t one the players are fond of, Bell is probably OK with it since there was no indication he had any desire to leave Pittsburgh anyway.
JPP gets franchised again
Just two years removed from nearly blowing his arm off in a July 4th fireworks accident, New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul has been given the franchise tag once again.
Pierre-Paul played in just 12 games last season before he was sidelined with a sports hernia. Still, it was the bounce-back season he needed playing on a one-year “prove it” deal with the Giants. JPP proved it to the tune of seven sacks, 53 tackles, eight passes defended, 12 batted passes, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and a defensive touchdown.
#Giants intend to use franchise tag on Jason Pierre-Paul, confirming @ProFootballTalk report. Still hoping to work out long-term deal
— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) February 27, 2017
After the Giants lost to the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs, Pierre-Paul was asked about playing on another single-season contract. Pierre-Paul did not play in the game.
“I’m not playing on no one-year deal,” JPP said. “I’ve proved it. I’ve showed it. There is not really another guy like me out here doing it with 71/2 fingers still.”
It’s hard to argue with that.
If JPP plays on the tag, the Giants will have to fork over somewhere in the neighborhood of $17 million. With just around $34 million in available cap space leading up to April’s NFL Draft, the Giants have plenty of reasons to work out a long term deal with Pierre-Paul that at least gives them some cap flexibility in the short term.
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