Jaylen Samuels signs 4-year contract with Pittsburgh Steelers

Jaylen Samuels has agreed to a four-year contract with Pittsburgh, making him the first 2018 Steelers draftee to sign with the team. The contract is worth about $2.7 million over the life of the deal, per Spotrac.com, though he’ll have to make the team to realize anywhere near that amount. Only about 10 percent is guaranteed.

That’s still a good chunk of change, mind you, but this contract doesn’t imply anything about his likelihood of making the final 53-man Pittsburgh roster in 2018 and beyond.

NFL players unfortunately are the victims of the most bizarrely impotent players’ union in pro sports given the relative physical tolls involved—it is difficult to make a lot of money, and even harder to get money guaranteed. Samuels is guaranteed about $260,000 by signing, but he can be cut loose at any time for no reason, and the Steelers won’t be on the hook for the remainder of his contract.

He’s gonna give them good reason not to do that, though.