Steelers create over $2.8M of salary cap space by restructuring contract of Vince Williams

19

Mar 2019

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The Steelers have made a move to create some additional salary cap space in 2019 by restructuring the contract of linebacker Vince Williams

With less salary cap space than most NFL teams this offseason, it would appear that the Pittsburgh Steelers have opted to restructure the contract of linebacker Vince Williams to give them some extra cap room to work with in 2019.

Once again, Steelers salary cap expert Ian Whetstone was the first to note the change on the NFLPA contract database, revealing a salary cap saving of $2,863,334 this year.

Originally set to cost Pittsburgh $6.7 million against the cap in 2019, Williams was due a base salary of $2.2 million and a roster bonus of $2.9 million. The Steelers have effectively turned that roster bonus into a signing bonus, along with $1.395 million of his base salary, and spread that out of the remaining length of his contract as part of his prorated bonus. A move that will have added $1,431,666 to his cap charge in 2020 and $1,431,668 in 2021.

This is how his contract will look going forward

2019

  • Base salary – $805,000
  • Prorated signing bonus – $3,031,666
  • Salary cap charge – $3,836,666

2020

  • Base salary – $4 million
  • Prorated signing bonus – $3,031,666
  • Salary cap hit – $7,031,666

2021

  • Base salary – $4 million
  • Prorated signing bonus – $3,031,668
  • Salary cap hit – $7,031,668

And how it looked before the restructure.

As with any restructure, the move does not pay Williams any more money over, but simply changes the way the contract is accounted for. And as most Pittsburgh fans are more than aware, restructuring is a tool the Steelers have frequently used over the years as a way of creating additional cap space.

While Williams may be the first to have this done to his deal in 2019, he is unlikely to be the last, with the contract of Stephon Tuitt offering the highest potential savings. Due a base salary of $6 million and a roster bonus of $3 million, a restructure of Tuitt’s deal could create around $6 million in cap savings this season and would add $2 million to his cap charge in each of his remaining years under contract.