It's not always the final product that makes the meal, it's the ingredients that decide whether it tastes good or not.
And for the Steelers, the Minkah Fitzpatrick deal comes across as quite tasty in the grand scheme of things.
While Fitzpatrick's new deal signed earlier this week does come in at $18.4 million per year, it's a very team-friendly deal.
First, let's talk about the length of the deal.
Fitzpatrick was under contract for $10.6 million in 2022 on his fifth-year option, which the Steelers picked up last spring.
This new deal, even with a $17.5-million signing bonus, actually lowers his 2022 salary cap hit.
The Steelers lowered Fitzpatrick's 2022 base salary from $10.6 million to $4 million. So, when his $17.5-million signing bonus is then spread over five seasons, it comes to $3.5 million per year.
He also has a roster bonus of just over $600,000, making his 2022 salary cap hit just $8.1 million, giving the Steelers an additional $2.5 million in cap space.
In 2023, Fitzpatrick's base salary jumps to $14.5 million -- which is fully guaranteed -- but because his pro-rated signing bonus is just $3.5 million per year, he counts $18 million against the team's salary cap.
The Steelers could then get out of the deal relatively cheaply after that since Fitzpatrick will have no additional guaranteed money in his final three seasons other than his pro-rated signing bonus.
He has base salaries of $14.5, $15.5 and $17.6 million in the final three years of his deal, with cap hits of $18, $19 and $21.1 million over those final three seasons.
And, if the Steelers so choose, they can easily convert his base salaries in any of those seasons into signing bonus to create additional cap space -- if needed.
Considering the NFL salary cap is expected to potentially hit $250 million as soon as 2024, Fitzpatrick's deal, which runs through 2026, isn't extreme at all.