A Break Down of the Steelers 2009 Salary Cap

ESPN’s Insider section just did a full-scale blowout about the salary cap for each and every team around the league. Here’s what they had to say on the Steelers:

2009 salary cap: $127,195,326
Player with highest cap number: QB Ben Roethlisberger ($13,225,200; 10.4 percent of cap)
Highest cap number for a player no longer with club: G Kendall Simmons ($4,710,000; 3.7 percent of cap; ninth-highest on club)
Player who has to live up to cap number: NT Casey Hampton ($6,652,084; 5.2 percent of cap; second-highest on club)

Nose tackle Casey Hampton has long been a stalwart in the Steelers’ 3-4 defense, but for two consecutive years, the Steelers have been disappointed by Hampton’s offseason conditioning, or lack thereof. Couple this with the Steelers’ drafting defensive tackle Ziggy Hood, and Hampton’s days in Pittsburgh could be drawing to a close after this season, when his contract expires.