One of the more under-the-radar guys on the Pittsburgh Steelers is cornerback Mike Hilton. The slot cornerback came out of nowhere two seasons ago and quickly established himself as one of the best inside cornerbacks in the AFC. Hilton now finds himself at organized team activities without a contract but he’s hopeful something gets done soon.
Hilton has yet to sign his ERFA tender and likely won’t as he tries to work out a long-term contract with the team assuring him a big raise instead of the league minimum.
“No, not yet,” Hilton said of signing it. “But that’s why I am here. I want to be here and I want to show them I want to be part of this group for as long as possible. So, when that (contract) time comes around, hopefully things work out.”
There was a time when Hilton held all the leverage in this. His game is so fun to watch and there is very little he can’t do on the field. But Pittsburgh made a couple of big moves at cornerback this offseason. First, signing Steven Nelson as a free agent and then drafting Justin Layne in the third round of the draft.
No one is saying the Steelers shouldn’t sign Hilton. They absolutely should. But these new additions do hurt Hilton’s leverage to a degree. It’s great Hilton is still attending OTAs while this all gets sorted out and very soon he gets the new contract he’s wanting and doesn’t have to worry.
