Pittsburgh Steelers sign S Robert Spears-Jennings

Robert Spears-Jennings earns a fair-deal Contract Value Index (CVI) grade on his four-year, $4.5M deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, a contract that reads almost textbook for a developmental safety entering the roster on a minimum-caliber structure. At a $1.1M AAV, Pittsburgh is essentially paying depth-piece pricing for a player who could develop into a solid starter if the coaching staff unlocks his potential — the financial exposure here is negligible, and that's precisely the point. The production tier aligns with the salary context: this is a roster-filler signing, not a franchise investment, and the Steelers are treating it accordingly by not committing to anything resembling a meaningful guarantee. The contract's risk profile is about as lean as it gets — just $163,928 in guaranteed money on a four-year structure means Pittsburgh can move on at virtually no cost if Spears-Jennings doesn't develop, making this less of a roster commitment and more of an extended audition. The CVI holds steady at C+ because there's no overpay to penalize and no standout value to reward — this is the front office doing exactly what you'd expect with a low-stakes developmental signing in the offseason. With the regular season still 110 days out, there's time for Spears-Jennings to make a training-camp case for a genuine roster spot, but the contract structure makes clear that Pittsburgh isn't betting the house on that outcome.