Antonio Brown Restructures Contract, Makes Room for Le'Veon Bell Franchise Tag

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown restructured his contract to enable the team to accommodate Le'Veon Bell's salary cap figure for 2018.

NFL reporter Dov Kleiman shared a video from Brown's Instagram account in which Brown's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, explained the contract maneuver:

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Brown is designating money that would've been owed as part of his base salary to a bonus instead. The MMQB's Albert Breer reported Brown's contract restructuring will free up $9.7 million in salary cap space for the Steelers.

Pittsburgh used the franchise tag on Bell for the second straight season, the team announced Tuesday. According to Pro Football Talk's Josh Alper, the franchise tag for a running back will be worth $14.5 million guaranteed in 2018.

That creates a big problem for the Steelers, who are nearly $8.7 million in the red, per Over the Cap. In order for the team to create more financial flexibility, PennLive's Jacob Klinger hypothesized reworking Brown's contract could be an option:

"Pittsburgh can clear a lot of space by cutting Brown a check as an immediate bonus, then prorating its cap hit over the remaining four years on his deal.

"So, in theory, the Steelers could take the $6 million roster bonus Brown is due this season and all but $915,000—that's the league minimum for a player of his experience—of the $7,875,000 in salary he's set to make this season, turn it into a one-off bonus and save $13,291,250."

Wednesday's move would get the Steelers back in the black, but more moves are likely since Pittsburgh will want to have enough to sign its draft picks and make any other additions to the squad.

The Steelers could also minimize Bell's cap figure for 2018 by working out a long-term extension rather than giving him the franchise tag, though Bell told ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler he won't sign a deal that averages less than he'd earn with the one-year tag.