Still a free agent, Villanueva attending minicamp out of 'respect' for Steelers

Alejandro Villanueva could have chosen to skip the Steelers' three-day mandatory minicamp at Rooney Sports Complex this week.

The Steelers' starting left tackle has yet to sign a contract, as he is an exclusive rights free agent. He signed a participation agreement to attend OTAs, but did not commit to attending this latest portion of the offseason.

But he did so out of "respect" for a franchise and a coaching staff that took a chance on him and helped him develop into the player he is.



"I’m not the best at making decisions but I feel very comfortable making decisions," he said before Tuesday's first minicamp practice. "It’s a process. I’m very thankful for the Steelers with everything they’ve done for me. I’m very thankful for their treatment. They’ve always been very respectful. The only thing I can do is show them respect back by being here and trying to contribute the best I can."

Villanueva's situation is far different than that of Le'Veon Bell, who has yet to sign his franchise tender. The tackle is considered an exclusive rights free agent because his contract expired and he has less than three years of NFL service.

That leaves him with few options. He has to accept the ERFA tender the Steelers placed on him in March, which would pay him $615,000 for 2017. That's far below the market value for a starting left tackle, particularly one with Villanueva's track record. The average salary for an NFL left tackle is $7.5 million.

He is now the 54th-highest paid left tackle in the league, according to Over the Cap, and is being paid $100,000 less than the Steelers' fourth-round pick in 2016, Jerald Hawkins. Villanueva, who is turning 29 years old in September, has every reason to want a pay bump.

But he does not have a dollar figure in mind. He's leaving that to his agent.

"I come from very little money, my family," Villanueva said. "I obviously spent most of my time in the military, so I’m very institutionalized on the ways I spend money. My agent will make a decision and he’s going to let me know. ... It’s not a fun process. It’s not something I like to go through."

Villanueva, who was a Captain in the Army and had three tours of duty in Afghanistan, signed with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2014. Standing at 6-foot-8 and with experience playing multiple positions during his collegiate career at Army, Villanueva was used as a defensive end until he was cut at the end of training camp.

The Steelers signed him eight days later and moved Villanueva to offensive tackle. He has improved steadily since and won the starting left tackle job in training camp last August, beating out Ryan Harris, whom the Steelers added in free agency.

He arrived for OTAs and declined to speak with reporters for three weeks until he finally broke his silence, though he did not say much. Villanueva said he wanted to attend OTAs because he felt he needed to improve. He cannot attend training camp, though, without first signing a contract.

"Since I'm not under contract going to training camp could be complicated," he admitted.

Money is not the issue in Villanueva's contract situation. The Steelers are about $16 million under the salary cap and they have built up their offensive line over the past three years with Maurkice Pouncey and Marcus Gilbert receiving contract extensions in 2014 and Ramon Foster and David DeCastro getting deals last year.

The contract situation is not bothering Villanueva. He insisted he rarely thinks about it, and does not want what he called a "stupid topic" to make him the center of attention.

Though he is unsure what the future holds, he emphasized how thankful he is to have the opportunity to be playing for the Steelers.

"I don’t think about this at all," he said. "I’m a very small part of this team. Everyone else in this building deserves as much attention because they contribute to the team’s effort just as much. The team is very successful. They’ll make whatever decision they have to make and for my end, I’m extremely fortunate to be where I’m at. I’ve been to Afghanistan three times. A lot of service members have died next to me protecting my life, so for me to be here is a blessing."