Fitzpatrick Deal Saves Steelers $2.5M in 2022 Salary Cap Space

The Pittsburgh Steelers increased their amount of salary cap space for the 2022 season as part of the contract extension the team agreed to with safety Minkah Fitzpatrick on Wednesday, according to contract details reported by ESPN.

Fitzpatrick’s deal includes a $17.5 million signing bonus that will be spread out over the five years of the new deal, and a base salary for 2022 of $4 million. His total cap hit will be $8.1 million in 2022.

Fitzpatrick had been scheduled to receive $10.6 in guaranteed salary for the 2022 season, so, the Steelers will save $2.5 million in salary cap space with Fitzpatrick’s new deal.

The move will leave the Steelers with an estimated $23 million in offseason salary cap space, which will be the second-most of any team in the league, according to NFLPA data, Steelers Now analysis and information from OvertheCap.com.

That figure can be somewhat misleading, though. The Steelers still must sign first-round pick Kenny Pickett, expected to cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $2 million in cap space after displacement.

The team also must add two more players to their rolls when the offseason Rule of 51 expires, account for a practice squad and any players that are replaced after landing on injured reserve.

That adds up to the team having approximately $11.25 million in usable salary cap space if they choose to make an addition to the roster, figuring in a $5 million cushion that team will likely choose to carry into the season for emergencies.

New contracts for Diontae Johnson and Chris Boswell could absorb a large chunk of that available money. The Steelers can also create more salary cap space by re-working the contracts of T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward, if they choose to.