Steelers have options if they want to take salary-cap hit on Antonio Brown contract

Time will tell if the Steelers decide to part ways with All-Pro wide receiver Antonio Brown after nine seasons.

At least two months’ time, to be precise.

If the Steelers have decided enough is enough in the wake of Brown’s recent absences from practice and team functions, they can explore a trade but not until the new NFL league calendar flips to 2019.

And that doesn’t happen until March 13.

That gives the Steelers more than two months to determine if their marriage with Brown is reparable or if it will result in divorce because of irreconcilable differences.

The Steelers could explore a trade and hope to get something approaching adequate compensation, or they can cut ties by releasing him into the free-agent pool. Both are financially feasibly but come with some weighted financial risks as they pertain to the team’s salary-cap situation.

According to the salary-cap tracking site overthecap.com, the Steelers ended the season with 38 players under contract for 2019 at a combined cost of $180,654,810 against the salary cap. Two players — quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Brown — make up 25 percent of that cap cost. Roethlisberger has a $23.2 million cap hit for the final season of his contract, and Brown’s number is $22.165 million.

The Steelers can reduce Roethlisberger’s cap hit by signing him to an anticipated extension, which would enable them to spread his signing bonus over the life of the contract.

Brown is on the books for $12.65 million in base salary, but he has such a high cap number because the Steelers gave him a $19 million signing bonus when they agreed to a five-year, $72.71 million contract two years ago. In order to free up salary-cap space in 2018, the Steelers restructured his contract and converted most of his salary into a $12.96 million signing bonus.

Those signing bonuses count $7.04 million toward Brown’s salary-cap figure in addition to his $12.625 million base salary and $2.5 million roster bonus that he is due to receive March 17, the fifth day of the new league season. Those totals equal $22.165 million.

If the Steelers are intent on getting rid of Brown, they will want to do so before Brown can collect his roster bonus. Trades, however, can’t be consummated until March 13. That would give the Steelers five days to work a trade.

No matter if the Steelers trade or release Brown, he would account for $21.12 million in dead money against the salary cap. Of course, they would save $15.125 million in actual salary ($12.625 million base plus $2.5 million roster bonus) by trading or releasing Brown. Any team acquiring Brown before March 17 would have the $15.125 million count against its salary cap.

Releasing Brown also would save the Steelers his $11.3 million base salary in 2020 and his $12.5 million salary in 2021. It also would give them no compensation for a seven-time Pro Bowl player and the only player in NFL history with six consecutive 100-catch seasons.

From a numbers standpoint, though, is it doable.

The NFL already has told teams to expect the salary cap to increase from $177.2 million to $187-$191.1 million in 2019. That provides at least a $10 million cushion. The Steelers also can carry over unused salary-cap space from this season. According to the NFL Players’ Association, the Steelers finished the year almost $18.4 million under the salary cap, a savings that includes the $14.5 million that running back Le’Veon Bell forfeited by not reporting to the team.

If the salary cap projects to $190 million, and the Steelers have an $18.4 million carryover, they would have $28 million in cap space to spend on free agents and draft picks to fill out the rest of the roster. Brown’s $21.12 million in dead money would eat up 75 percent of that space. The Steelers, however, could create more cap room by restructuring Roethlisberger’s contract and addressing a few other roster issues.

• Cornerback Joe Haden will count almost $12 million against the salary cap in the final year of his three-year contract. An extension could lower his cap hit.

• The Steelers could rescind the fifth-year option worth $9.232 million on outside linebacker Bud Dupree.

• The Steelers could cut right tackle Marcus Gilbert, who has played in only 12 of the past 32 regular-season games, and have a $4.9 million cap savings.

• Cutting backup strong safety Morgan Burnett would bring a $3.6 million cap savings. Their other 2018 free-agent signing, linebacker Jon Bostic, would save $1.8 million off the cap if he is cut.

• The Steelers could sever ties with other players due to receive roster bonuses in March. Candidates include inside linebacker Vince Williams ($2.9 million), kicker Chris Boswell ($2 million) and cornerback Artie Burns ($800,000.) Defensive end Stephon Tuitt ($3 million) and tight end Vance McDonald ($750,000) also have roster bonuses but remain productive every-down players. Roethlisberger has a $5 million roster bonus that could be turned into a signing bonus in his anticipated new contract.

The Steelers also could cut Brown on the first day of free agency with a post-June 1 designation, a part of the collective bargaining agreement that allows teams to spread the salary-cap hit over two seasons. But his entire cap figure of $22.165 million would count against the cap until June 1. From that point, he would count $7.04 million against the 2019 cap with the remainder being applied to 2020.

And for anyone wondering, the NFL prohibits trades with a post-June 1 designation, so the Steelers would be unable to skirt their salary-cap dilemma in that manner.

Joe Rutter is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joe at jrutter@tribweb.com or via Twitter @tribjoerutter.