It's been well publicized that Antonio Brown has a $2.5-million roster bonus due March 17.
But, it's not quite that simple.
ProFootballTalk.com obtained a copy of Brown's contract and the wording on that bonus and when it is due is interesting.
According to the site, Brown's roster bonus is due as part of his yearly salary, not in a lump sum payment. What that means is that it's due to Brown as part of the 17 payments he receives during the regular season.
The only thing that happens March 17 is that Brown gets that money if he's on an NFL roster. It just doesn't necessarily have to be the Steelers' roster.
But, that money would count as additional bonus money against the Steelers' salary cap, raising his cost against the Steelers' cap in 2019 to $23.62 million. If he's traded before March 17, Brown will count $21.2 million against the team's cap.
The Steelers asked Brown and agent Drew Rosenhaus to waive the bonus until after he is traded, but Brown declined at the time. The move could be a ploy by Brown to get the Steelers to allow Rosenhaus to negotiate with other teams if Brown agrees to waive the roster bonus until after he is traded.
The installments would be just over $147,000 per week added to his $12.65-million salary.
That could mean the Steelers are in no real hurry to trade Brown before March 17. And if that's the case, they might be able to get more for the All-Pro receiver the closer they get to the NFL Draft at the end of April.
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