Hargrave's contract could be tricky, sticky ☕ taken at Rooney Complex (Steelers)

Keeping Javon Hargrave, middle, could be entering his final season with the Steelers -- MATT SUNDAY / DKPS

The Steelers are shelling out a lot of money to their starting defensive line, most of it to Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt.

With those two accounting for more than $28 million in 2019 salary cap space, the defensive line accounts for 18.36 percent of the team's cap space this season. Only the offensive line accounts for more.

And that's with nose tackle Javon Hargrave, a former third-round pick, still playing on his rookie contract and making just $2.1 million this season.

If they hope to keep their starting threesome together in the future, they're going to have to increase that percentage significantly. Hargrave is entering the final season of his rookie contract. And based on his level of play, he'll be due a hefty raise.

The Steelers currently have just $985,000 in 2019 cap space, so signing Hargrave to a new deal before the season begins would take some maneuvering. And, in fact, according to a source, the team hasn't had any official talks about that because of those cap issues.

But the team is very interested in signing Hargrave to a contract extension at some point -- even if it has to come at the conclusion of the 2019 season.

The issue is what to pay a player who, despite starting as a rookie in 2016, has never appeared in more than 47 percent of the team's defensive snaps in any single season. In fact, in 2018, Hargrave was on the field just 43 percent of the time, a career low for the big nose tackle.

Despite that limited playing time, Hargrave set career highs for sacks (6.5) and tackles (49), showing the 26-year-old might be primed for even more.

What might a new deal for Hargrave look like?

Considering his pass rush ability, Hargrave is more than just your typical run-stuffing nose tackle. The South Carolina State product came to the NFL with a quick first step that helped him to accumulate nearly 40 sacks in college.

Yes, it was at a small-school level, but that quick first step has played well in the NFL.

Former Pitt and current Rams star Aaron Donald, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, is the highest-paid defensive tackle in the league. He carries a cap hit of $17.1 million this season as part of a six-year, $135-million contract he signed earlier this year.

But Donald is a 4-3 defensive tackle, while Hargrave is used in a more traditional 3-4 nose tackle role, even though the Steelers have encouraged him to get upfield more than they typically did with previous nose tackles, such as Casey Hampton.

The highest-paid nose tackle in the league is the Ravens' Brandon Williams. Like Hargrave, Williams was a third-round pick from a small school (Missouri Southern). But Williams' forte is stuffing the run more than rushing the passer. In six seasons, he has 5.5 sacks.

But the Ravens appreciate Williams' ability to stuff the run. They'll pay him $9.2 million in base salary this season with a cap hit of $14.17 million as part of a five-year, $52.5-million contract he signed prior to the 2018 season.

With Heyward having two years remaining on a six-year, $59.2-million contract and Tuitt in the middle of a five-year, $60-million deal, it's unlikely the Steelers would go anywhere near the contract of Williams with Hargrave. They just can't afford it.

The Vikings' Linval Joseph and Panthers' Dontari Poe are the next highest-paid nose tackles, both having cap hits of more than $9 million per season in 2019.

Joseph will count just under $10.7 million this season as part of a four-year, $50.3-million deal he signed before the 2018 season. Poe, meanwhile, signed a three-year, $28-million contract with the Panthers in 2018 after spending the first five seasons of his career with the Chiefs.

Joseph has twice posted a career high of four sacks, while Poe had six in 2014 for Kansas City.

They seem to be good comparisons to Hargrave, as is the Lions' Damon Harrison, who skipped Detroit's offseason program because he's unhappy making a base salary of $6.75 million in 2019.

Assuming the salary cap goes up around $10 million for 2020, as it has for the better part of this decade, the Steelers will have around $9 to $12 million in cap space heading into next season. They could afford a deal similar to that of Poe for Hargrave, but it might cost them the ability to re-sign some other pending free agents, including cornerback Joe Haden, safety Sean Davis and linebacker Bud Dupree.

Hargrave has been a bargain for the team in his first three seasons. He won't be much longer.

And the Steelers just might not wish to pay a premium for a player who has never played more than 50 percent of the snaps.

Related: What's up with Haden's contract, anyway?

Related: Hargrave wants to be best in the world

 

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