Steelers General Manager Kevin Colbert said recently that the team would not break from tradition to revisit wide receiver Antonio Brown’s contract this year.
Brown signed a six-year, $43 million deal with the Steelers before the 2012 season and approached the team this offseason about altering it to get himself more money. Colbert met with Brown’s agent Drew Rosenhaus, but said that Brown’s contract would remain unchanged.
That wasn’t quite right. Adam Schefter of ESPN reported Tuesday that the Steelers restructured Brown’s contract and Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports reports that the restructure involved moving $2 million of his 2016 salary into a bonus this year.
It’s a raise for Brown this year and, along with restructures of tight end Heath Miller and kicker Shaun Suisham, helps the Steelers gain $6 million in cap room. Per Schefter, that money will be used to offset the money they’ll be spending on injured players this year.
PFT has confirmed the restructuring and that Brown is happy to be the player that got the Steelers to change their philosophy on reopening a deal for a non-quarterback with more than a year left.