PFF: Steelers DL Stephon Tuitt among NFL’s Best in Bang for Buck

Steelers defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt has one of the best contracts in the NFL when it comes to team value, according to Pro Football Focus.

Tuitt was one of 32 players PFF singled out as having the best production for their contract value and salary cap hit in advance of the 2021 season.

“The Pittsburgh Steelers defensive line over the last few years has been the closest thing we’ve seen to an NFL-version of the Avengers, and Tuitt’s name has unfortunately received far less attention than it deserves,” PFF’s Brad Spielberger wrote, while also complementing Tuitt’s linemates.

“The scary thing is that interior defender Tyson Alualu could also have made this list, as a late-career resurgence has made his two-year, $5.5 million deal signed this offseason after a near-departure to the Jacksonville Jaguars look like a crazy bargain, even at 34 years of age. … Tuitt and Alualu rank 10th and 11th in WAR among interior defenders since 2019, respectively. Oh, and Cameron Heyward ranks second.”

Tuitt’s five-year contract runs through the end of the 2022 season and he’s set to earn $9 million in 2021 and $9.05 million in 2022. None of that salary is guaranteed. The Steelers are also paying off a cap hit of $5.94 million in deferred bonuses this year and are scheduled to count another $3.34 million toward the 2022 cap.

The lack of guaranteed money could provide the Steelers with some salary cap flexibility, if they wanted to restructure Tuitt’s contract in order to push some of his 2021 salary in 2022 as additional deferred bonus.