Steelers & DL Stephon Tuitt Close To Agreement On Contract Extension

Steelers DL Stephon Tuitt told reporters on Wednesday that they’re close to an agreement on a contract extension.

“We’re going to see,” Tuitt said, via Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I was just paying attention to practice today so I didn’t look at my phone yet. I’ll see where we’re at. Right now, we’re just doing things day by day.

“It’s ongoing. Hopefully, everything is close. Right now I’m worried about getting better every day to get ready for the Browns.”

The two parties have just a few days left to hammer out the details regarding an extension before the start of the regular season. The Steelers have made it a point to end all negotiations with players during the season, so this is an annual deadline for deals.

There was talk about a possible extension for Tuitt dating back to February, but it appears as though the team is getting serious about a potential deal.

It would make plenty of sense for the Steelers to try to get an agreement in place before the regular season, as Tuitt is one of the team’s best young defensive players and is in the final year of his rookie contract.

Waiting until next year, could not only be very costly for Pittsburgh but they would also run the risk of losing him in free agency if they’re unable to strike a deal before the market officially opens in March.

Tuitt, 24, is a former second-round pick of the Steelers back in 2014. He’s currently in the final year of his four-year, $4,609,444 rookie contract and stands to make a base salary of $1,048,560 for the 2017 season.

Tuitt will be an unrestricted free agent in 2018.

In 2016, Tuitt appeared in 14 games for the Steelers and recorded 37 tackles, four sacks, two forced fumbles and three pass defenses. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 20 interior defensive lineman out of 127 qualifying players.

We’ll have more regarding a new deal for Tuitt as the news is available.