Steelers' Chuks Okorafor second guesses re-signing in Pittsburgh
In the NFL, anyone who receives a second contract can likely view their career as a success. As hard as it is to break into the league, it's much harder to stick around. But according to veteran and long-time starter Chuks Okorafor, he wishes he never put his name on the dotted line: Okorafor No […]
In the NFL, anyone who receives a second contract can likely view their career as a success.
As hard as it is to break into the league, it's much harder to stick around.
But according to veteran and long-time starter Chuks Okorafor, he wishes he never put his name on the dotted line:
Okorafor No More
“If I knew that was going to be the case, I probably wouldn’t have chosen to come back here,” Okorafor told reporters when asked how he felt about not playing for most of 2023. “But at that point [his benching] there was nothing I could do about it.”
Okorafor's benching was so long ago that it almost feels like it was last season, but the recently extended RT has been riding the pine since Week 9 when he was benched before TNF against the Tennessee Titans.
And while it's still unknown (and likely will remain that way) what exactly Chuks said, Okorafor reportedly had some negative comments about the offense that Coach Tomlin and the higher-ups thought was worthy of significant discipline.
That seemingly jaded Chuks, who likely won't be back next season:
“I have no clue what is going to happen next year,” added Okorafor when asked if he wants to return to Pittsburgh. “I wish I could tell you guys but it’s up to me, my agent, and the guys up there [Steelers front office] to see what’s going to happen.”
Well, I think Pittsburgh has already made the decision, as Okorafor would allocate $8.75M in cap savings with only $3M in dead money, and is due a March 18 roster bonus should he stick around, meaning he's as good as gone.
You rarely cut 26-year-old tackles that are serviceable in this league, but when things are no longer cordial, it's better for everyone involved to cut ties and go their separate ways.
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