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On Saturday the Pittsburgh Steelers acquired Jacksonville inside linebacker Joe Schobert in exchange for a 2022 sixth-round pick. Prior to the deal being announced, there were rumors that Jacksonville would be responsible for some of Schobert’s salary. In the immediate aftermath of the trade, there was no further news on this issue, but that may have been because the Steelers were in the process of re-structuring his contract.
In the final analysis, multiple reports indicate that the Jaguars will be paying half of Schobert’s salary this season (including half of the expected per-game roster bonus money), for a total of $3.65 million.
Pro Football Talk also reveals that Schobert has converted $2.36 million of this year’s salary to a signing bonus, shrinking his 2021 salary cap hit to just $1.35 million.
The remainder of Schobert’s contract remains the same, with non-guaranteed salaries of $8.75 million in 2022, $10.25 million in 2023, and $10.75 million in 2024. By dramatically reducing his 2022 cap hit, it leaves the door open to signing outside linebacker T.J. Watt to a contract extension prior to the start of the regular season.
Who Called Who to Suggest the Trade?
Meanwhile, there are conflicting stories as to how the trade came together. After his first practice with the Steelers, Schobert said the Steelers called the Jaguars and were intent on acquiring him, this news coming via Ray Fittpaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
But that’s not what Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin indicated yesterday. Asked if the team had been looking to add a veteran inside linebacker, he said the opportunity to make the trade “presented itself to us,” adding that “it didn’t take us long to consider it because we are highly familiar with his skill set and productivity.”
Regardless, Schobert is now focused on learning Pittsburgh’s defense as quickly as possible, as he discussed after his first practice on Sunday.
“They threw me on the field playing with the ones today, which is good because all those guys know their communication and they can help me if I’ve got questions out in the field pre-snap,” said Schobert. “It’s just jumping both feet right in. A lot of meetings yesterday and today to get the basic installs written down and put into my memory bank and just have got to get out here and start getting reps.”
Schobert went to say that he expects to play against the Detroit Lions on Saturday at Heinz Field. He also indicated that he expects to eventually take over as the signal caller for the defense.
Schobert wore No. 53 during the four seasons he played for the Cleveland Browns and wore No. 47 last year with the Jaguars. He will wear No. 45 for the Steelers.
Kendrick Green Missed His Second Practice in a Row
Last but not least, it’s perhaps worth noting that rookie center Kendrick Green missed his second practice in a row on Sunday. As noted by Brooke Pryor of ESPN, Green was excused from practice on Saturday by Mike Tomlin.
The Steelers won’t be practicing on Monday but the team’s Tuesday and Wednesday practices are open to the public. The next preseason game is against the Detroit Lions at Heinz Field on Sat. Aug. 21 at 7:30 p.m. Pittsburgh wraps up its preseason schedule on Friday Aug. 27 at the Carolina Panthers
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