Expected salary cap costs of Steelers 2019 first-round draft pick Devin Bush

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We take a look at the projected four-year rookie deal the former Michigan linebacker can expect from the Steelers

Having heard his name called as the Pittsburgh Steelers 2019 first-round draft pick, Devin Bush will soon become a rather wealthy young man. And thanks to a sliding scale for rookie contracts agreed to under the terms of the CBA, the former Michigan linebacker should already have a good idea of how much being drafted by the Steelers will earn him.

Using figures generated by OverTheCap.com, we can now also work out how much Bush will cost Pittsburgh over the length of his rookie deal and how it will impact their salary cap position this year. A number that will be much higher than it would otherwise have been if the Steelers had remained at pick No.20.

Bush is projected to earn a total of just under $19 million as part of a four-year deal that will include a signing bonus worth around $11.75 million. Like all players selected in the draft this year, he will receive a base salary of just $495,000 in year one.

By moving up 10 places in the first-round, Pittsburgh has cost themselves $6 million more than they would have had to pay a player selected with the 20th pick, and close to an additional $1.2 million in 2019. However, it is worth noting that trading away their second-round draft pick will have saved them a contract worth a total of $5.5 million, one that would have come with a cap hit of just over $1 million in year-one.

Costing the Steelers less than $3.5 million against the cap this season, Bush will actually only use up around $2.86 million in salary cap space after displacement. As a first-round draft pick, Pittsburgh will also hold a fifth-year option on his contract under current CBA rules.