New Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson officially inked his rookie contract shortly after rookie minicamp, and as the No. 83 overall pick, the new deal he sees is not a massive one.
Johnson signed a four-year, $6.372 million deal with $1.274 million guaranteed, according to OverTheCap.com. That pays out to just $1.158 million for the cap hit this season. Between Johnson and Jaylen Warren, the Steelers will have just around $6 million in cap hits toward the running back position.
In an interview with Missi Matthews, Johnson said he views himself as a hybrid payer who can do many things. He says he can be a combination of Derrick Henry and Dalvin Cook.
“I feel like I’m a versatile back. I can be a Derrick Henry back or I can be a Dalvin Cook back,” Johnson said. “I feel like that’s what separates me from a lot of backs in the league and in this class that I came into because, overall, I feel like I’m a fast back and I can be a strong back. Also, catch the ball out of the backfield and be reliable.”
He had a massive 2024 season, racking up 1537 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns. That earned him an All-Big 10 selection and All-American honors as one of the best running backs in college football.
Johnson does not have that much mileage on his legs, either, having just 540 rushes in three years with the Hawkeyes.
Despite the lack of speed, Johnson was one of the most explosive runners in college football. He averaged 6.4 yards per attempt and 128.1 yards per game in his stellar Junior campaign.
Johnson wants to bring that superstar home-run ability to the table with the Steelers.