Steelers free agent signing praised as 'amazing move' by NFL analyst
The Pittsburgh Steelers signed free agent offensive lineman James Daniels to a three-year deal earlier this offseason. Daniels is a former second-round pick out of Iowa who spent the first four years of his career with the Chicago Bears. He played all 17 games for the Steelers last year after missing 11 games in 2020 […]
The Pittsburgh Steelers signed free agent offensive lineman James Daniels to a three-year deal earlier this offseason.
Daniels is a former second-round pick out of Iowa who spent the first four years of his career with the Chicago Bears. He played all 17 games for the Steelers last year after missing 11 games in 2020 due to a torn pectoral muscle.
Pittsburgh's contract with Daniels is worth $26.5 million over the life of the deal. It includes $8.8 million in guaranteed money.
Pro Football Focus writer Arjun Menon believes that Daniels' contract is one of the most team-friendly deals signed this offseason.
The Steelers getting Daniels for this value is an amazing move by GM Kevin Colbert in his final free agency before retirement. Daniels has experience playing both guard and center, which the Steelers might need to utilize, and has been a very reliable blocker each year of his career. He is a clear upgrade over Trai Turner, who started at RG last year, and is very young (only 24 years old at the time of signing).
Only 33% of Daniels’ contract was guaranteed at signing, a surprisingly low figure. Fellow guard Austin Corbett got a whopping 74.7% of his deal guaranteed at signing despite being about a year and a half older than Daniels. While I don’t anticipate the Steelers cutting Daniels, that low guarantee allows them to have more control over the player and whether or not they want to keep him on the roster post-2023.
The guaranteed money is really all that matters in an NFL contract. The Steelers are hoping Daniels is in Pittsburgh for the entirety of this deal. But if he doesn't play to the level that the team expects, the Steelers have a way out.
That's part of what makes this such a great deal for Pittsburgh.
Featured image via Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports
