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Wednesday, March 12, 2003

By Ed Bouchette, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

The Steelers still haven't landed free safety Dexter Jackson, but they made way for him when they cleared more than $1.3 million in salary cap room yesterday.

Until they restructured the contract of defensive end Aaron Smith, the Steelers did not have enough room to sign anyone to the bare minimum. They also plan to restructure the contract of guard Alan Faneca, his agent said, which would give them nearly $3 million in new cap room.

Jackson still had not decided yesterday between similar offers from the Steelers or Arizona Cardinals, although he is said to be leaning toward the Steelers. Each team has offered him a five-year deal for $12 million with a $2.75 million signing bonus. Jackson's girlfriend is due to deliver a baby, which might be holding up the deal.

Jackson, the Super Bowl MVP this year, is an unrestricted free agent from Tampa Bay, which also made an offer to him but not as much as those tendered by the Steelers and Cardinals.

With one stroke of Smith's pen, the Steelers cleared $1,367,000 in salary cap room this year without costing them any more money and made Jackson's signing possible for them. The additional room they would pick up under Faneca's new deal would add another $1,416,000 they desperately need in order to sign a backup quarterback, their April draft picks and other contracts they want to extend or add. The two new deals would clear $2,792,000 under their salary cap this year.

Before they restructured Smith's contract, the Steelers had only $8,000 in salary-cap room, the second smallest in the NFL.

Jackson's signing would cost them more than $1 million against the cap this season.

They also might restructure starting quarterback Tommy Maddox's contract to give him a signing bonus and more salary, and they want to sign a veteran backup quarterback. Each will chew up salary-cap room.

The Steelers created some room by converting most of Smith's $2.25 million salary into a signing bonus. They gave him a $1.72 million signing bonus and the minimum salary of $530,000 each year. That new bonus, for salary-cap accounting purposes, will count $344,000 each of the next five years against their cap.

By doing that, they make room this year, but they reduce their cap in each of the next four years. Teams have been doing that for years, and the Steelers mostly resisted it.

Mark Bartelstein, Faneca's agent, said they will restructure a deal soon in similar fashion. Faneca has five years left on a contract he signed last year. His salary this year was scheduled to be $2.3 million.

NOTES -- Backup tight end Matt Cushing, who became an unrestricted free agent, expects to re-sign with the Steelers this week. ... Quarterback Charlie Batch paid a visit to Tampa Bay yesterday and might take another one to Jacksonville. The Steelers have an interest in re-signing Batch as their No. 2 quarterback.