Former Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount finished strong in 2013, exploding for 166 yards and four touchdowns in a playoff win over the Colts.
But that wasn’t enough to get Blount big money. It wasn’t even enough to get Blount paid at a rate reflecting the currently depressed market.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Blount’s two-year deal in Pittsburgh has a total value of $3.85 million, $950,000 of which comes from a signing bonus. That’s a per-year average of $1.925 million, well below the $3.5 million paid out to three guys who have signed new contracts since March 11 (Toby Gerhart, Donald Brown, Ben Tate).
It’s a bargain for the Steelers, who surely will use Blount again and again and again, either as a complement to Le’Veon Bell or an injury replacement. And it gives them Blount for two full seasons, no matter how much he produces in 2014.