Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown has agreed to a restructured contract with the team, according to multiple reports.
A source told NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo that the new deal still runs through the 2017 season. However, some of the money Brown was set to earn next season has been tacked onto his contract for this year. Brown’s salary for the 2016 season was originally $6.25 million, but another $4 million has been pushed forward, so he’ll earn over $10 million this upcoming season.
While Brown had made it clear that he wants a new contract, he chose not to hold out of training camp and instead trusted that the Steelers would take care of him. For now, the restructure is a temporary fix.
Brown will not want to play out the final year of his contract in 2017 without a new deal, and NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport is reporting the Steelers have promised him he will get a new long-term contract next offseason. Brown is widely considered to be the best wide receiver in football, but he has yet to cash in on a big contract like Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas, A.J. Green and Julio Jones have.
The good news for Brown is he can supplement his income with crazy side bets with Brandon Marshall. That should help him put food on the table this year.
