The contract details have been revealed for a pair of Pittsburgh Steelers free agent defenders. The Steelers signed defensive lineman Daniel Ekuale and safety Juan Thornhill to one-year contracts this offseason, and now Over the Cap has reported the price tag for the pair of veteran additions.
Ekuale, who was a starter for the New England Patriots last season, signed a one-year, $2.8 million contract. That deal has a $1.63 million in signing bonus, which is guaranteed, and a $1.17 million base salary, which is not.
With the current cut-off above $3 million average annual value, Ekuale will likely not count against the Steelers’ compensatory draft pick formula for the 2026 NFL Draft.
Thornhill, a starter for the last two seasons for the Cleveland Browns, signed a one-year deal worth $3 million. His contract has $1.83 million in guaranteed signing bonus and $1.17 million in base salary.
Thornhill is also unlikely to count against the Steelers’ comp pick formula, though he is closer than Ekuale. The Steelers have two other players at the $3 million per year range in their formula, losing wide receiver Mike Williams to the Los Angeles Chargers on such a contract and adding cornerback Brandin Echols from the New York Jets on nearly the same deal. They also have a $3.01 million per year loss for linebacker Elandon Roberts’ departure to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Compensatory pick evaluation calculates both salary and playing time, so those players could move around significantly between now and next year’s draft, but the Steelers appear to be more likely to add another slot from Roberts than to lose one for Thornhill or Ekuale.
The team is already at the maximum of six compensatory picks, with eight countable slots due to losses and two signings cancelling them out.
