LATROBE, Pa. -- Mike Hilton is signed and sealed. He just hopes the Steelers will now deliver.
The team's nickel cornerback made it obvious he would like a new long-term contract during the offseason by refusing to sign his one-year Exclusive Rights Free Agent deal with the team.
Hilton didn't miss a single practice or workout during the offseason, but to take part in training camp practices, which begin here Friday at Saint Vincent College, he had to sign his name to the one-year tender offer that will pay him $645,000 this season.
"I was always going to come in," Hilton said minutes after officially putting pen to paper. "I'm trying to show all the signs that I want to be here for the long term. Hopefully, things will work out in the end.
"There's been talks. I can't go into any greater detail than that. The idea is in the air, so that's a plus."
Hilton has played 58 percent of the team's defensive snaps in his first two seasons, essentially making him a starter. But because he was signed by the Steelers at the end of his rookie season after being released by both the Jaguars and Patriots, he's made just $465,000 and $555,000 in his first two seasons.
It's nothing to sneeze at, but Hilton also doesn't have any kind of career stability because of his situation. That, as much as the money itself, is something the 25-year-old would like to gain.
"I want to be here," said Hilton, an undrafted rookie out of Mississippi. "This is the team that gave me a true shot, coming in undrafted. I feel like the last two years, I've been producing. I want to be around here and keep playing."
Hilton was something of a training camp phenom in 2017, not only winning a spot on the team's 53-man roster, but being named the starting nickel corner that year.
He's appeared in 31 career games, intercepting three passes and breaking up 14, showing himself to be one of the better nickel corners in the NFL. Hilton also is an effective blitzer, despite being just 5-foot-9, 184 pounds. He has five career sacks and 13 quarterback hits in his two seasons.
Hilton shares the same agent -- Drew Rosenhaus -- as both starting cornerback Joe Haden and free safety Sean Davis, both of whom are heading into the final season of their respective contracts.
Haden also said Thursday that Rosenhaus has had contact with the Steelers regarding a contract extension, as well. And that could be part of the hold up in getting something done with Hilton at this point.
Currently, the Steelers are just $985,000 below the salary cap, giving them little wiggle room to give Hilton a pay raise.
But they did give left tackle Alejandro Villanueva a pay raise in 2017 in similar circumstances, tearing up the final year of his Exclusive Rights deal and giving him a four-year, $24-million extension.
Hilton probably wouldn't draw a pay raise in that neighborhood, but the cost of nickel corners has gone up in recent years. Earlier this year, the Dolphins signed nickel corner Bobby McCain to a four-year extension worth $27 million, while Justin Coleman (4 years, $36 million) and Tavon Young (3 years, $25.8 million) also got big-money deals from the Lions and Ravens, respectively.
"It will take care of itself in the long run," Hilton said of his contract status. "I'm focused on being here and helping this team win."
LOLLEY'S VIEW
A Hilton extension is probably something that gets done at some point before the start of the season. But it won't be for anything close to the overall money McCain, Coleman and Young got. So, if that's what Hilton is expecting, that's not going to happen.
As it is, the Steelers have his services for at least two more seasons. After this year, he would be a restricted free agent, and while that would come with a considerable bump in pay -- to as much as $3 million for 2020 -- it still wouldn't offer Hilton the long-term security he seeks.
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Steelers reporting day, Latrobe, Pa., July 25, 2019 - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS