PITTSBURGH — "We would love to have him be with the Steelers for the rest of his career."
— GM Kevin Colbert on RB Le'Veon Bell, February 2018
"We want Bud Dupree to finish his career as a Pittsburgh Steeler."
— GM Kevin Colbert, February 2020
"We hope he's going to be a Steeler for a long time."
— GM Omar Khan on WR Diontae Johnson, Aug. 2, 2022
Well, they got one of 'em right.
The decision by wide receiver Diontae Johnson to suddenly lessen his contractual desires and sign a new three-year, $39.5 million contract that included a $17.5 million signing bonus was a wise and risk-free move by him and a team-friendly one for the Steelers.
Johnson's case, of course, was distinctly different from the situations that confronted Bell and Dupree. He still had a year remaining on his rookie contract. Bell and Dupree were unrestricted free agents who would eventually have the franchise tag placed on them by the Steelers. Bell and Dupree each ended up playing one more season with the Steelers under the franchise tag, but neither player ever signed another contract with them. In Bell's case, he actually turned down an offer on a long-term deal from the Steelers in his search of more money.
But even though the two sides were far apart in contract talks while Johnson continued his "hold-in" during training camp, a deal quickly came together Wednesday night for several reasons, one of which was Mike Tomlin encouraging both sides to come to some form of agreement. The other was Johnson and his representation deciding it was time to get something done.
It was the right decision.
Johnson's options were: sign a new contract for less than what he was desiring; or, he could not sign a contract and test his market value in free agency. But the latter option came with a risk.
For starters, he would not have Ben Roethlisberger, a future Hall of Famer and the league's fifth all-time leading passer, feeding him throws this season. He will have a new quarterback, possibly one with whom he has never played. That could greatly reduce his chances of fattening the numbers he posted last season — 107 receptions, 1,161 yards, eight touchdowns — thereby reducing his market value.
Also, if Chase Claypool returns to the form he displayed as a rookie and starts to fulfill the promise the team has in him, and rookie George Pickens displays in the regular season what the coaches and players have witnessed in training camp, Johnson's value to the team in 2023 might not be as significant as it is right now.
And then he might be lucky to get a contract that averages $18.335 million for the next two seasons, which is what the extension on his rookie contract effectively pays him.
In other words, Johnson was probably smart to take the Steelers' offer on a new contract, even though it wasn't the Deebo Samuel or DK Metcalf money he might have been expecting. It is a risk he had to gauge, but one he was wise to take.
Pickens opening eyes
Want to know how to assess the true measure of a rookie's talent and potential after just two weeks of training camp?
Listen to what other veterans have to say about him.
Veterans don't often talk about rookies, especially in glowing terms, until they see them actually perform in games. But they almost can't help themselves when asked about Pickens, the team's second-round choice who could be the steal of the NFL draft.
The latest is All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who has been watching Pickens even more closely from the deep middle of the field — his daily position while he sat out with a minor wrist injury.
"He's a really, really talented guy," Fitzpatrick said. "He's got all the talent in the world, all the potential in the world. I think all the praise he's getting from the older guys is definitely well deserved and due."
Pickens said one of his objectives at training camp was to show the coaches he can do more than simply run deep down the field as the "X" receiver. He wanted to show he is a good route-runner, as well, and has been working hard to do that.
"I see him definitely making that an emphasis," Fitzpatrick said. "You see him doing pre-practice stuff, you see him doing post-practice stuff, working on getting in and out of his breaks, working on different defensive backs. He definitely has the ability.
"Being a younger guy, you've got to know what you have to develop. The fact he acknowledges that is a positive."
'Finishing' is a start
It seemed like an innocuous moment at training camp, a handoff to backup running back Anthony McFarland on the second day of a padded practice. But what happened after a nice 5- or 6-yard gain was very telling.
After McFarland was momentarily slow by several tacklers, four offensive linemen began pushing the pile up the field and gained another 4 to 5 yards, much to the delight of the crowd.
It was significant because, unlike a lot of other NFL offensive lines, the Steelers rarely, if ever, did that last season. And it is permissible under NFL rules.
"Finishing" is what offensive line coach Pat Meyer said when asked about the push. And guard Kendrick Green said that has been a point of emphasis in camp.
"Coach Meyer always talk about finishing," Green said. "We did exactly what were supposed to do. You always want to be the last person to get that last shove in."
