Earlier on Thursday, it was announce by the Pittsburgh Steelers that they had signed draft picks Markus Wheaton and Terry Hawthorne to their rookie deals and now comes word that wide receiver Justin Brown has also signed his rookie contract.
Brown, the Steelers first of two sixth round picks last month, recorded 73 catches for 879 yards and five touchdowns last season at Oklahoma after transferring there from Penn State where he played the previous three seasons. Brown left Penn State following the Jerry Sandusky scandal and the move to a more wide-open offense certainly helped him.
The six foot, three inch wide receiver isn\’t a burner and has an uphill battle ahead of him as it relates to making the 53 man roster as the Steelers are more than likely only going to keep five wide receivers out of training camp. In reality, Brown will most likely be a candidate for the practice squad.
The terms of the four-year deal haven\’t been announced, but Brown\’s contract is expected to total out at about $2.265 million and include a a signing bonus of around $105,000. The four year base salaries that Brown will earn will be $405,000, $495,000, $585,000 and $675,000.
The Steelers now have five of their nine draft picks under contract, so that leaves only linebacker Jarvis Jones, running back Le\’Veon Bell, quarterback Landry Jones and defensive end Nick Williams as the only unsigned draft picks at this point.
