Kenneth Gainwell can start speaking to groups about leaving the Steelers, which is a definite chance, at this time at midday. Following a profession yr, his market is probably going as sturdy as it can ever be in his life. Even if Pittsburgh provided an above-fair-market deal for him, it would be wise to explore his options.
Steelers beat author Ray Fittipaldo believes Gainwell’s choices, the truth is, will likely be fairly strong—however the Steelers may pony up. After churning out over 1,000 environment friendly yards and eight touchdowns, they don’t wish to see him go away. But how a lot will they should pay to maintain him, whereas additionally paying Jaylen Warren north of $5 million?
“I’m guessing Gainwell, his market’s gonna be in that $7-8 million a year range”, Fittipaldo advised Sportsline’s George Von Benko over the weekend. “He’s a third-down back, but he’s a really, really good third-down back. And the Steelers used him almost as a 1A to Jaylen Warren, so there’s a team out there that envisions a similar role for him. I could even see that go beyond $8 million, but I’m gonna say between $7 and $8 million for him. And I think the Steelers will consider that. If Gainwell comes back to the Steelers and says, ‘Hey, this is the number, can you match it?’, we’ll see if the Steelers want to match it”.
Personally, I can’t see Kenneth Gainwell getting $8 million a yr, nor the Steelers matching it. Even with a strong working again market this offseason, that appears too excessive for a fifth-year breakout season. Gainwell didn’t simply play effectively as a result of he acquired extra snaps. He performed higher than he ever did earlier than, and it’s honest to query its sustainability.
The huge transfer at working again up to now forward of free company was the Jets franchising Breece Hall at $14,293,000. Nobody goes to come back near that quantity, nonetheless. Javonte Williams re-signed with the Cowboys on a three-year, $24 million contract, however is Kenneth Gainwell in that very same vary?
Running back-needy groups will have their choice this offseason. Some of the highest names available on the market this week embody Kenneth Walker III, Travis Etienne, Rico Dowdle, Tyler Allgeier, and Isiah Pacheco. Most of them are hitting free company for the primary time, with isn’t the case for Kenneth Gainwell.
In reality, the Steelers signed Gainwell for below $2 million final March as an unrestricted free agent. Hardly anyone was inquisitive about him, which, granted, hindsight proved flawed. Last season, he rushed for 537 yards and 5 touchdowns on 114 carries and gained 586 yards with 3 touchdowns on 73 receptions. His 8 touchdowns tied the staff lead, and his teammates voted him Steelers MVP.
While the Steelers ought to prioritize re-signing Kenneth Gainwell, they can’t ignore the price tag. If there’s a staff keen to pay him $8 million, ought to they actually match that? We don’t even know if Mike McCarthy envisions utilizing a participant like him in the identical mildew. Arthur Smith and Aaron Rodgers acquired essentially the most out of him, however will even Rodgers be again? And the large query is that this: may he do once more what he did final yr? I’m not betting $8 million on it.
