Antonio Brown has been asking for a contract extension all off-season and while he did not quite get that, he did get a little bump in his paycheck for 2016. According to reports, the Steelers and Brown have agreed to a restructured deal that will shift $4 million dollars of his 2017 salary over to his 2016 salary.
Antonio Brown Restructures 2016 Contract
Steelers moved up $4 million from next year to this year, boosting Antonio Brown's base salary to $10.25 this year, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 31, 2016
Antonio Brown got no new years added, and Steelers are promising to give him a true extension after this season, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 31, 2016
This probably could have been seen coming. Brown having a base salary of $6.25 to enter the season is a ridiculous bargain. That is a player who is considered arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL.
For comparison, Tavon Austin recently signed a deal that gives him a similar annual salary in which Brown will now make in 2016. Tavon Austin has 1,942 combined rushing and receiving yards in his three-year career. Antonio Brown, on the other hand, had 1,834 yards in receiving yards just last season without his starting quarterback for four games. It is safe to say he is deserving of a raise.
The Steelers, however, are a franchise with a strong backbone and one that stands by their words and their principles. They have been vocal about not extending a player until he has one season left on his deal, regardless of the circumstances. While there is no doubt the Steelers will extend Brown next year, this just delays the talk until next year.
With the restructure, Brown would only be scheduled to make around $4 million again next season. An easy solution that problem is to front load any contract extension that he signs and treat it as a raise in 2017, as well as a more than likely the four or five-year extension after the 2017 season. Business is booming for Antonio Brown and is expected to continue booming Pittsburgh for the foreseeable future.
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