The oblivious headlines of the Steelers’ offseason thus far have been the additions of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, wideout DK Metcalf, and, of course, the blockbuster trade with the Dolphins, swapping safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and picks for defensive back Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith.
But the curious pursuit of a nine-time pro bowler has now turned into an afterthought, which isn’t surprising, considering he plays a position the Steelers haven’t deployed frequently over the years - fullback.
49ers mainstay Kyle Juszczyk visited the Steel City in March and recently spoke about his visit to Pittsburgh at the American Century Classic.
“It was a different experience,” Juszczyk told The Athletic. “It was a chance to go look at a different team and I felt a lot of love from them. I got excited for a second about what possibly could be, about new beginnings and fitting into a new offense, all that type of stuff. And I genuinely enjoyed my time with Arthur Smith and Mike Tomlin so much. I have so much respect for those guys. But at the end of the day, it just wasn’t enough to trump what I had in San Francisco. I just couldn’t pull the plug.”
“Even the day I was released, the door wasn’t shut. There was always an opportunity for me to come back. Kyle was very open about that. We didn’t know how it was going to work out … though I told myself after a day or two that wasn’t going to happen. I think deep, deep down, that’s what I was hoping for, is that there would be an opportunity to come back.”
He ultimately returned to the 49ers on a two-year, $7.5 million contract.
Jonnu Smith will likely serve as the Swiss-army knife the Steelers could have been looking for in a player like Juszczyk, who has hauled in 281 passes in his career.
I’m still intrigued by the idea of the Steelers bringing in a fullback to help their ground game. The market is thin, but given their interest, we can deduce that they could still have a plan in the works. I’m certainly never going to put anything past GM Omar Khan.
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