Keeanu Benton Contract & Salary Cap Workbench

Pittsburgh Steelers DT • 4-Year $72,000,000 Extension ($18.0M AAV)

Highest Paid DL in Franchise History

Total Deal Value

$72.00M

4 Years (2026–2029)

Average Annual Value (AAV)

$18.00M

Franchise Record for DL

Guaranteed Money (Est.)

$42.00M

58.3% Total Value Guarantee

Peak Year Cap Hit

$23.50M

Projected in 2029

Contract Structure

Distribution Preset

Signing Bonus Allocation $20.0M

Prorated evenly over up to 5 League Years

Annual NFL Cap Growth Rate 6.5%

Est. baseline: $280M (2026)

Annual Cap Hit

Annual Cash Payout

Dead Money If Cut (Pre-June 1)

Season	Base Salary	Signing Bonus Proration	Total Cap Hit	% Cap	Cash Payout	Dead Cap Risk

Comparing Keeanu Benton's record extension against key defensive front milestone contracts in Steelers franchise history.