A new CBA was passed by the NFL players by a very close margin in their recently concluded vote and that’s a big deal if you’re a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers. One of the biggest gains for the Steelers as a result of there now being a new CBA in place is that the 30 percent rule that was previously in place for the 2020 NFL league year will now go away. That rule going away will allow the Steelers to instantly free up more 2020 salary cap space via traditional contract restructures than they could have before the new CBA was passed.

To show what a big deal, and hindrance, the 30 percent rule was to the Steelers prior to it going away, below is a comparison of what the team would have been able to create salary cap-wise in 2020 via restructures with it in place and now with it gone *(NOTE: all restructures calculated with previous 2020 NFL minimum amounts, not the slightly higher amounts in new CBA agreement). I also only listed the nine players that will produce more than a million dollars in 2020 salary cap savings without the 30 percent rule being in place.

Obviously, the Steelers stand to save the biggest chunk in 2020 salary cap space by doing a max contract restructure on quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. A full Roethlisberger contract restructure now would clear more 2020 salary cap space than the nine players listed below combined with 30 percent rule in place.

The Steelers obviously shouldn’t be expected to restructure the contracts of all nine players listed below. Even so, we could see three or four in total get done depending on what the team deems necessary. In short, it’s now business as usual for the Steelers with the new CBA in place. If they need additional salary cap space to keep players they really want to keep, they have it available to them now via contract restructures.

Another thing to note when it comes to the 30 percent rule not being in place is that it will now be much easier for the Steelers to clear a little salary cap space with defensive tackle Cameron Heyward should they ultimately sign him to a contract extension in the future.

While the 30 percent rule going away is huge, don’t expect the Steelers to big players in free agency.