With the start of free agency still a month away, the Steelers haven't wasted any time preparing for the upcoming frenzy.
The team has restructured the contracts of defensive end Stephon Tuitt and guard David DeCastro, turning large portions of their 2018 salary into signing bonuses, thus freeing up $13.1 million in cap space.
Tuitt, who signed a 5-year, $60.1 million contract extension prior to last season, had his base salary lowered from $3.5 million to $790,000, taking the remaining $2.71 million as a bonus. He also had a $7.5 million roster bonus due this year pushed to future salaries. That lowered his 2018 cap hit from $13.6 million to $5.4 million.
DeCastro, meanwhile, saw his cap hit fall from $10.78 million to $5.67 million with a similar restructure. He also will earn a base salary of $790,000 in 2018 with the rest of what he was due now coming in bonus money and future earnings.
The moves put the Steelers at $173.5 million in spending for the 2018 season. The estimated salary cap for 2018 is $180 million, though that final number won't be released until early March.
