The Steelers already have the highest paid defense in the league after the monster contracts given to T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick. Now they might be looking to have the offense catch up financially.
And they don’t want to leave out their most important special-teams player, either.
As the players reported Tuesday for the opening day of training camp at Saint Vincent College, the Steelers have their sights set on extending the contract of Chris Boswell, the fourth-most accurate kicker in NFL history. Boswell is scheduled to earn $3.26 million this season, which is ninth among the league’s kickers, according to overthecap.com. He will be an unrestricted free agent after the season
Less of a certainty, but still a possibility, is trying to get a new contract for receiver Diontae Johnson, who enters the final season of a rookie contract that will pay him $2.79 million in 2022. That is a nominal amount for a player who has been the team’s most productive receiver for the past two seasons, catching 195 passes for 2,084 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Johnson, though, may want to opt to test free agency in the hope of landing one of those huge contracts that wide receivers around the league have been receiving. However, he has a history of dropped passes – 20 in the past two seasons combined – that could hurt his stock.
The Steelers have not started discussions with either player, but that could change soon.
First Published: July 27, 2022, 2:39 p.m.
