Steelers/NFL
Front office executive Omar Khan has touched based with Casey Hampton’s agent Eric Armstead on a few occasions since the regular season ended.
The two sides met during the Senior Bowl for a brief meeting but contract talks between the two sides will not officially begin until this week as the two sides are expected to meet on Thursday or Friday of this week.
All indications are Hampton’s camp is expecting to play hardball as word has been leaked that Pittsburgh is not prepared to offer much more than $7.5 million guaranteed, which is likely less than double of what Hampton will get on the open market.
A source close to Hampton told me on Monday that they expect an official offer to be made by Pittsburgh by Tuesday or Wednesday of next week in preparation of seeing where both sides are before the scouting combine begins.
*Meanwhile, the Steelers are already discussing a four year deal with kicker Jeff Reed. The parameters of the deal is believed to be worth
$2.25 – $2.45 million per season. The Steelers offered Reed a multi-year deal worth $1.75 million per season prior to the Steelers regular season opener, which was declined by Reed.
Don Henderson, the agent for Reed, when reached by TIOPS on Monday, seemed optimistic that the two sides will strike a deal before the end of the NFL scouting combine.
If, not, they are expecting the Steelers to place the franchise or transition tag on Reed to give both sides more time to work out a long-term deal.
There are very strong signs that Reed be locked up long-term and will not hit the open market.
