The Pittsburgh Steelers lead the league in money committed to offensive linemen. This is a strategic plan that has paid off, literally.
While the Seattle Seahawks are fielding a line on the cheap, the Steelers will pay their Ben Roethlisberger protectors $28.4 million in cash alone in 2016. Applying signing bonuses as proration (dividing totals by the number of years on the contract), the total works out to $32.21 million.
About 21 percent of the Steelers’ overall salary cap belongs to tackles and guards and centers. This is a serious investment, but Roethlisberger's sack totals are at career lows (1.