Steelers sign two to new contracts

Williams finished second on the team with eight sacks, third-most by a Steelers inside linebacker. His 68 solo tackles was one off the team lead, and his 88 total tackles were two off. His 14 quarterback pressures also were second only to Cam Heyward, who also led the team with 12 sacks.

Williams was scheduled to earn a $2 million salary in the final year of a threeyear contract he signed in 2016 for $5.5 million. He also could have become unrestricted after the season.

“Playing good football is what leads to that,” Williams said at training camp about possibly receiving a new contract.

Williams, a sixth-round draft pick in 2013 out of Florida State, started 16 games in 2017.

Boswell became the first player in 13 years to kick three field goals to win three consecutive games with no time left on the clock last season. He made his first Pro Bowl last season.

Boswell was scheduled to play this season for $2.9 million as a restricted free agent and would have become unrestricted next year without a new deal.

Boswell, 27, of Texas, made 35 of his 38 field goals in 2017, 4 of 4 from 50 yards and beyond. His 142 points also set a Steelers record. He made 89.5 percent of his field-goal attempts in his three NFL seasons, all with the Steelers.

New England’s Stephen Gostkowski is the highestpaid kicker in the NFL with an average annual salary of $4.3 million. Five other kickers average $4 million or more. Boswell’s average is slightly under that.

“There is definitely a big jump from the highest paid to the average kicker in the league,” Boswell told the Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo early at training camp. “And not just average based on skill, just based on salary. It’s based on what teams feel like is important. Some teams … they’re not going to pay the top kicker. They’ll let him walk and go find someone else. Gostkowski has been kicking big-time kicks forever. He’s the best big kicker in the league. It’s just based on the team and what they feel is important.”

Boswell initially signed with the Steelers Oct. 3, 2015, after Shaun Suisham tore his ACL in the first preseason game and Josh Scobee missed 4 of 10 field-goal tries in September. Boswell had been released by the Houston Texans twice in 2014 and by the New York Giants twice in 2015 before finding a home with the Steelers.

Ed Bouchette: ebouchette@post-gazette.