Some of the team's veteran players have spoken out against the new CBA agreement that was sent out to the general membership for a vote on Wednesday, but there's likely little chance it doesn't pass.
What people need to understand about this agreement is that it was negotiated by the NFLPA Executive Council. The owners didn't come up with this proposal on their own.
And it's going to mean a lot more money for the players, starting as soon as it passes.
Under the current CBA, which runs out at the end of the 2020 season, the salary cap is estimated to come in around $200 million for this season. Under the new deal, the salary cap is expected to increase to as much as $230 million or more for the 2020 season -- if it is passed.
Considering the Steelers are estimated to be right at the cap as things currently stand, getting an additional $30 million in cap space is significant for the team.
All of a sudden, they don't have to cut a bunch of players to create cap space. In fact, they can likely sign both linebacker Bud Dupree and nose tackle Javon Hargrave, while still having enough money to re-sign the likes of center B.J. Finney and special teams ace Tyler Matakevich.
The hand wringing that has gone on trying to decide if this was an either-or situation and the Steelers could only do that by releasing a number of players would go out the window. They could do what they always do -- keep their own.
And Dupree and Hargrave, the team's two biggest free agents, would lead that list.
Other teams will have plenty to spend, as well, but the Steelers will do their best to keep the guys they want. And they'll have the cap space with which to do it.
• The reason this thing is going to get passed is because of the raises given to players at the bottom of the roster. Minimum salaries are going to go up $90,000 each the moment the players ratify it.
Of the 53 players on each roster, 10 to 15 players are making big money. Another 10 or so are making good money -- by NFL standards. The rest of the roster are those players who are on minimum-type deals hoping to play three seasons in the league.
A straight majority vote is needed to pass this. There are more than 50 percent of players in each locker room who are going love the idea of getting a nice raise this offseason.
Ramon Foster is the Steelers' NFLPA player rep. He put out this tweet Wednesday.
That 250K was eliminated so that no player making over 4.2Ms would be sacrificed making less than their contract stated. Guys are made whole in their contract. EVERYBODY EATS, no one is cut short. Clear that up please. Everyone gets their chickens. Shout out to @MoneyLynch https://t.co/9xNGa0XBJp
— Ramon Foster (@RamonFoster) February 26, 2020
• Much of the focus is on the 17-game schedule. And that is a big deal. But the players are going to be compensated for playing in that game. And it's not going to happen this season.
In fact, it might not happen until 2023. By then, most of the contracts in the league will be built to compensate a player for 17 games.
That's also why the league dropped its $250,000 cap on what players with current contracts could be paid for a 17th game. Those with existing contracts will get what they normally make for playing another game.
• There is a chance that if this thing gets dragged out for several weeks while all of the teams vote, the league could push back the start of the new league year -- and hence free agency -- past its current March 18 start date.
There's a lot of legal stuff that has to be worked out. NFL owners are working with the league's law team to get some of that handled now.
But until the deal is officially passed, there is still some unknown involved with the exact language of many things.
That's why Kevin Colbert is moving forward as if the deal isn't passed.
"We’re approaching this as we normally do because nobody knows about the CBA," Colbert said. "We don’t know. We can’t talk about it. We have to operate under the rules we know are in place. If there are changes in the rules, we’ll change along with it. But right now, this is where we are in 2020."
• The owners' addition of potential gambling revenue into the equation also is a big get for the players. Nobody knows at this point what the NFL could make off deals with casinos or gambling web sites, but it has the potential to reach into billions of dollars of addition revenue that would be shared with the players.
The salary cap has essentially doubled over the course of the current CBA, which was not a great deal for the players, who signed it after the 2011 lockout.
Given everything that is in this CBA, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the salary cap at $400 million by the time the two sides are negotiating their next deal.
• Colbert's statement Tuesday that Ben Roethlisberger could return and be a better player in 2020 was misconstrued in some circles.
Roethlisberger's arm isn't going to be what it was when he was 23. That's just not realistic. But to expect his arm to be better than it was at the start of the 2019 season is not a stretch -- no pun intended.
There were years of wear and tear on Roethlisberger's arm. The doctors went in and tightened everything up. And, as Colbert noted, the rest of Roethlisberger's body didn't take many hits in 2019.
What we don't know, as well, and what nobody is talking about is how much Roethlisberger's elbow was bothering him at the start of the 2019 season. It's reasonable to say that it was likely an issue for him.
It's also reasonable to say his elbow will be in better shape in 2020 than it was heading into the 2019 season.
• As expected, the Steelers are meeting with offensive skill players who are not quarterbacks at the NFL Scouting Combine.
They have met with a number of tight end and wide receiver prospects. But they have met with just one of the top running back prospects, Florida State's Cam Akers.
The thing to note, however, is that teams only get 45 official visits this year, as opposed to the 60 they got in previous years. The Steelers met with a lot of guys at the Senior Bowl and other all-star games. They'll meet with others at their pro days.
The guess here is that they're saving their combine visits for players whose pro days Colbert and Mike Tomlin might not attend. It's just not possible for those two to make it to all of them.
• I wrote in my pre-draft watch list about players to keep an eye on and got some pushback when I called LSU tight end Thaddeus Moss "undersized."
That turned out to be the case. Moss measured 6-foot-1 and 7/8, not the 6-foot-3 at which he was listed. That is exactly what I meant.
Why is that important? Moss also has arms that are just 31 7/8 inches in length. Compare that with LSU teammate and fellow tight end Stephen Sullivan, whose arms are 35 3/8 inches. That's a significant difference in both ability to block and in terms of catch radius.
• In the past 20 years, there have been 15 players who have run a sub-4.3-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine.
And everyone wants to see the fast guys. But not many of the really fast guys can actually play the game.
Of those 15 players, former Titans running back Chris Johnson is the only one who would be considered a star. The others are players such as former Steelers running back Dri Archer.
So don't get too caught up in the 40 times when they start getting posted later this week.
• One of the overlooked factors in Roethlisberger's potential return is how much better it will make the defense.
How so? Look at the second half of last season's game tape. Knowing the Steelers were struggling to score points, opponents began taking fewer chances on offense. They knew if they got to 17 or more points, there was a good chance they would win.
That, as much as anything, was why the defense forced 12 turnovers in the final seven games after forcing 26 in the first nine weeks.
Getting Roethlisberger back gives the Steelers an offensive weapon who challenges opponents. They'll know that scoring 17 points isn't going to get it done.
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