What’s the Deal With Alejandro Villanueva’s Contract?
We know the story, and Coach Tomlin loves telling how he first noticed Alejandro Villanueva.
The Steelers coach saw Villanueva during a preseason game in Philadelphia when he was trying to make the Eagles squad as a defensive end.
I looked across the field during the anthem and there’s a guy standing over there about a head taller than everybody else and saluting during the anthem. It kind of got my attention. I wanted to know about this enormous human being over there saluting.
The Eagles cut Villanueva and in short order, he became the newest Pittsburgh Steeler. Fast forward to today, and Big Al has become a solid, and consistently improving member of the Steelers starting offensive line. He plays left tackle and protects Ben Roethlisberger’s blindside. It’s an important position, no question.
A potential distraction for the Steelers is the current status of their starting left tackle. As of today, he has not signed his exclusive-rights contract, and is the only member of the Steelers offensive line who is not under a long-term contract.
But why?
Villanueva is the biggest bargain on the Steelers roster right now. Left tackles are a premium position, and finding a starting left tackle by converting a failed defensive end is a bit of feather in the caps of Mike Tomlin and offensive line coach Mike Munchak. They took a big risk bringing in the former Army Ranger and trying to convert him.
And it looks like that risk had paid off.
Villanueva is an exclusive rights free agent, which means the Steelers are the only team he is eligible to play for this season. So why hasn’t he signed his tender yet?
In all likelihood, the Steelers and Big Al are trying to work something out, in order to lock the left tackle up for several years. The key is, at what price? Right now, Villanueva is the lowest paid starting left tackle in the league. But that’s understandable. When the Steelers signed him, he was an undrafted free agent defensive end who had just been cut by another team. He was first signed to the team’s practice squad in 2014 and then to a two-year futures contract.
That contract had a value of $960,000, which combined with his 2014 salary, means his base salary has been a little over $1 million during his three seasons in Pittsburgh. He has also received a little extra cash over the past two years based on performance incentives, but nothing that doesn’t still make him a bargain. Villanueva is set to make $615,000 in base salary for 2017 as an ERFA, but the Steelers appear eager to bypass the hassle of that contract distinction this season and a restricted free agent designation in 2018.
Why is it taking so long to put a long-term deal together? Likely the dollar amount the Steelers should pay Villanueva, and the length of the contract.
The truth is, that there is certainly a disconnect between what Villanueva’s agent (and possibly Big Al) feel is fair compensation versus what the Steelers feel is fair compensation. The NFL, as we all know, is a business first and foremost. Even organizations that have the best reputations (like the Steelers) still have to be fiscally responsible. They have to follow the rules of the salary cap.
Consider the potential contracts the Steelers have to deal with in the next few seasons:
| Player | Position | Current Contract Ends |
|---|---|---|
| Le’Veon Bell | RB | 2018 |
| B.J. Finney | O Line | 2017 |
| Stephon Tuitt | DE | 2018 |
| Ryan Shazier | LB | 2018 |
| Vince Williams | LB | 2019 |
| Sammie Coates | WR | 2019 |
| Jesse James | TE | 2019 |
| Martavis Bryant | WR | 2019 |
There are a lot of contracts that will need to be determined over the next few years, and those are also a good number of starters. (Or in the case of B.J. Finney, a potential starter.)
How do the Steelers keep some salary cap flexibility and also stay fair to Big Al?
Something to look at is where Villanueva ranks positionally. According to Pro Football Focus and their wizardly formulas, he is the 24th ranked left tackle in the league. That’s not just left tackles, that’s all tackles. That would put Villanueva’s value at somewhere around $6 to $6.5 million dollars a year. Nothing to sneeze at for certain, but is that something the Steelers are willing to pay?
One factor is age. Villanueva is 28, an age which is starting to get older for offensive linemen. To compare, Maurkice Pouncey is 27, Marcus Gilbert is 29, David DeCastro is 27 and Ramon Foster is 31. Jerald Hawkins, the rookie tackle the Steelers drafted last year is only 23.
To be fair to Villanueva, this may be his only “big” contract. He’s likely to sign for 4-5 years, and while the end of the contract may never be played out (as is often the case), the signing bonus and salaries for the next 2-3 years will be his big payday. He’ll want to maximize what he’s going to get. On some teams, and with some players, this could be a sticky situation. It doesn’t appear that Big Al is going to let it get that way here. He showed up for OTA’s: which means he had to sign an injury waiver since he is not currently under a signed contract. That shows the kind of character he has. He won’t let this be a distraction to the team.
The Steelers are notorious for placing values on positions, and sticking to those values. Don’t expect them to overpay, especially with a young tackle in the wings who has starter potential (Hawkins). The deal will probably get done before training camp, but if the sides are simply too far apart, Villanueva will certainly sign his contract and play it out. Then he may test the free agent market next year.
We all want to see Al make good, and keep him here in Pittsburgh. His story is one of the best one’s in the league. As long as Villanueva and his agents don’t expect to be paid as a premier left tackle (which at this point in his career, he is not), a deal will get done.
One note: while I’ve read that the Steelers could franchise Big Al next year, I don’t think that’s likely. I think that there is a better than 50% chance that Le’Veon Bell, currently playing under the franchise tag, may end up a candidate for that honor again next season. There is a good chance that Al’s deal can’t get done until the status of Le’Veon’s future is clearer.
There are gears within gears when dealing with contracts.
