There’s a lot of chatter around the Internet in regards to Antonio Brown and his contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers (which doesn’t expire until after the 2017 season.)

With two years remaining on his deal, and “pay the man” statements tossed around social media, I would like to offer 3 reasons as to why the Pittsburgh Steelers will not be ripping up AB’s current contract for a new one, in 2016.

Team policy

The Steelers do not extend players with more than one year remaining… unless you are a quarterback; the team has traditionally extended their men under center no more than two years from their contracts expiring (including Ben Roethlisberger.)

With a plethora of contract priorities, including potential extensions for David DeCastro, Lawrence Timmons and possibly Le’Veon Bell, it’s unlikely the Steelers would ever break tradition, even for a superstar such as Brown, when they have never done the same before. (Even with a number players now enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.)

Expectations of the front office

Earlier this year, Steelers General Manager (and newly named Vice President) Kevin Colbert talked about the possibility of Antonio Brown receiving a new contract and/or extension this offseason:

“He does have two years left and we expect that to be honored without any issue.”

“Again, Antonio’s a unique player. We understand that and he understands our policies. I don’t ever see that changing as long as we still have the mindset that it’s been good for the organization. Again we understand that he’s a special player and we’re glad we have him for two more years anyway.”

Due to another long-standing policy, Steelers personnel refrain from publicly talking about contract negotiations. Therefore, you may not hear anything further from someone within the Steelers organization: unless a deal is made.

Is Brown underpaid?

Remember when Antonio Brown had set the world on fire before signing his recent deal?

Yeah, me neither.

Way back when (2012 to be exact) Mike Wallace was the elite wide receiver on the Steelers roster, with the 24-year-old Brown being an up-and-coming player on the roster. Wallace sat out of training camp that year, holding out for a contract that would never come: instead, the Steelers would gamble on signing the young and largely unproven (at that time) AB to a long-term deal.

According to Spotrac.com:

Antonio Brown signed a 5 year, $41,960,000 contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers, including a $8,500,000 signing bonus, $8,500,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $8,392,000. In 2016, Brown will earn a base salary of $6,250,000. Brown has a cap hit of $12,370,833 while his dead money value is $10,541,666.

Brown was entering his third season in the NFL after being selected in the sixth round of the 2010 draft. Prior to signing his contract in 2012, Brown was named the 2011 team MVP, after becoming the first player in NFL history with at least 1,000 receiving yards and return yards.

Despite his all-purpose yards, Brown wasn’t the leading receiver on that team (he was 2nd, behind Wallace) and had only scored 2 touchdowns before landing the five-year, $42.5 million deal.

The deal didn’t appear to be a good one right away, as Brown’s numbers took a dip in 2012, catching 3 less passes but 3 more touchdowns (5) while his yardage total fell from 1,108 to 787. Brown was also removed from kick return duties, and saw his punting yards nearly halved.

Of course, the next three years would eliminate any doubts as to whether the Steelers front office had made the right decision on signing Brown, but now, the buzz is whether or not the receiver is underpaid.

12 receivers currently have a higher base salary in 2016 than Brown, with 18 WRs averaging a higher salary overall. Of those 18 with a higher average, only Vincent Jackson and Pierre Garcon signed their contracts in the same 2012 season. The remaining players averaging a higher salary in 2016 signed their deals in 2015 or later, with the exception of Victor Cruz (2013) and Jordy Nelson (2014.) Arguably, Jackson and Garcon were much higher valued receivers in 2012 (with Jackson the WR prize of free agency, leaving San Diego for Tampa Bay.)

Furthermore, Mike Wallace’s holdout may not reap greater rewards over the long haul when compared to Antonio Brown’s deal:

Mike Wallace				Antonio Brown
2012	$2,742,000	(Pittsburgh)	2012	$2,264,358
2013	$3,250,000	(Miami)	2013	$5,620,000
2014	$17,250,000	(Miami)	2014	$4,517,500
2015	$9,900,000	(Vikings)	2015	$7,120,833
2015	$6,600,000	(Miami)
2016	$3,500,000	(Baltimore)	2016	$12,370,833
2017	$8,000,000	(Baltimore)	2017	$13,130,833
Total:	$51,242,000			$45,024,357

Essentially the biggest difference between the two is Wallace’s guarantee from Miami, however, should Wallace get released in 2017, the numbers could be revisited and perhaps, end up nearly equal (though Wallace’s numbers have been anything but equal since his departure from Pittsburgh.)

In conclusion, Brown’s current deal is not too shabby for a sixth-round draft pick who was originally considered to be overpaid in his third season. In fact, the Steelers, who rarely get deals wrong, are getting the steal of the century under AB’s 2012 contract, yet, they could’ve easily been on the wrong end of the deal as well… like they were with Cortez Allen and LaMarr Woodley.