Left side of Steelers' offensive line faces imminent payday

Left side of Steelers' offensive line faces imminent payday

The Steelers offensive linemen and their contracts:

Name Contract Signed

Maurkice Pouncey 5 years, $44 million 2014

Marcus Gilbert 5 years, $30 million 2014

David DeCastro* 4 years, $7.8 million 2012

Ramon Foster 3 years, $5.5 million 2013

Kelvin Beachum 4 years, $2.1 million 2012

* — Team picked up option that will pay DeCastro $8 million in 2015

Source: overthecap.com

By Mark Kaboly
Thursday, June 4, 2015

Over the past 12 months, the Steelers handed out $44 million to Maurkice Pouncey and $30 million to Marcus Gilbert.

They also picked up the fifth-year option on David DeCastro that will pay him $8 million the final year of his rookie contract, which is typically a strong organizational indication that a lucrative long-term extension is imminent.

The Steelers used a considerable amount of draft picks over the past five years to retool their offensive line and even more money over the past year to ensure the unit will remain intact for the foreseeable future.

That future, however, might be only the next 16 games.

The left side of the offensive line — tackle Kelvin Beachum and guard Ramon Foster — are in the final year of their contracts and the players' future with the team is uncertain.

The Steelers have a long-standing policy of not negotiating contracts during the season, meaning the next three months will determine if 40 percent of their offensive line will test the free-agent market next year.

“I am not even commenting on that right now,” said Beachum of his contract situation. “God will open the door when he's ready.”

The Steelers' group played well last year, allowing a 10-year low in sacks (33) and paving the way for Le'Veon Bell to lead the AFC in rushing.

More importantly, the unit stayed healthy. From 2011-13, the Steelers used 23 offensive line combinations. Last year, that number fell to three.

And if all goes as expected, the Steelers will have the same starting offensive line for the second consecutive year for the first time in Mike Tomlin's nine years when they open the season Sept. 10 against the Patriots*.

to read rest of article:

http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/8481898-74/beachum-steelers-million#ixzz3cDAXE4eF

Steelers can be 'best offensive line in the NFL,' Marcus Gilbert says

Jeremy Fowler, ESPN Senior NFL Writer

PITTSBURGH -- For the Steelers’ offense to truly take off, for the Todd Haley experiment to live in Pittsburgh football folklore, the offensive line needs to stay together.

Kelvin Beachum, Ramon Foster, Maurkice Pouncey, David DeCastro and Marcus Gilbert were healthy last year, and the results were impressive. Ben Roethlisberger produced a career-best 4,952 passing yards and a decade-low 33 sacks. Le’Veon Bell was second in the NFL in rushing. After knee injuries to Pouncey and DeCastro forced too much lineup shuffling in 2012 and 2013, continuity proved invaluable for the Steelers’ offense.

But the Steelers’ have loftier goals, which will require money. Pouncey said he's eyeing a top 10 rushing offense after finishing 16th last year. Gilbert wants more than that.

“With these years playing with each other, we should be the best offensive line in the NFL,” said Gilbert, who cites the accountability of players "keeping it 100" with one another as big reasons why.

Now back to the money part, which is unavoidable for this group. As the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Mark Kaboly points out, the Steelers just gave Pouncey and Gilbert a combined $74 million in potential down-the-road earnings and designated an $8 million option for DeCastro. A long-term deal for DeCastro, which is possible, would put him around $7 million a year based on the average of the top 10 highest-salaried guards.

That leaves Beachum, considered an ascending tackle because of his mobility, and Foster, who’s started for much of his six-year career, as free agents.

to read rest of article:

http://espn.go.com/blog/pittsburgh-steelers/post/_/id/14081/steelers-can-be-best-offensive-line-in-the-nfl-marcus-gilbert-says