Steelers Now
A free agent the Pittsburgh Steelers failed to land this offseason reveals why he opted to sign elsewhere.
The Pittsburgh Steelers hosted 49ers All-Pro fullback Kyle Juszczyk on a free-agent visit in March, but he left without a deal, and shortly after, re-signed with San Francisco. He recently revealed why he opted to return to the 49ers instead of starting fresh with the Steelers.
“It was a different experience,” Juszczyk said. “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.”
Juszczyk didn’t just return to San Francisco, though. He also took a pay cut to do so.
According to ESPN’s Nick Wagoner, the Steelers made a better offer than the 49ers, but Juszczyk chose to return to his former team anyway.
“Nine-time Pro Bowl fullback Kyle Juszczyk is returning to the San Francisco 49ers on a two-year, $8 million deal,” Wagoner wrote. “A source said Juszczyk took less than what the Pittsburgh Steelers were offering to return to San Francisco.”
It was a tough loss for Pittsburgh, which is seemingly all in on trying to contend for a Super Bowl this season with one of the oldest rosters in the NFL.
Juszczyk has been the gold standard at the fullback position over the last decade. He has made nine consecutive Pro Bowls as a fullback and is coming off a second-team All-Pro selection in 2024.
He caught 19 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns and rushed five times for 26 yards and a touchdown. Juszcyzk did turn 34 in April, but there have been no signs of decline.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Free Agent Target Explains Why He Didn’t Choose Pittsburgh
