Pittsburgh Steelers tackle Chuks Okorafor says he wouldn’t have re-signed with the team knowing he’d get benched.
PITTSBURGH — The day after their season-ending loss to the Buffalo Bills brings waves of uncertainty for the many Pittsburgh Steelers players whose futures with the team are up in the air entering this offseason.
But Steelers offensive lineman Chuks Okorafor, who signed a new three-year contract with the team before the 2022 season represents the eighth-biggest cap hit of anyone on the 2023 roster, was certain about one thing – if he had known rookie Broderick Jones would unseat him as a starting tackle, he wouldn’t have come back to Pittsburgh.
“If I had known that was going to be the case, I probably wouldn’t have chosen to come back here,” Okorafor
stated. However, there’s not much I can do about it right now. I’m not really sure what to say about it; it’s kind of
Jones replaced Okorafor, who had started the first seven games of the regular season, on the bench during a Week 9 matchup with the Tennessee Titans. Later on, Okorafor gave an explanation for his demotion, citing an incident that happened on the field at the conclusion of the team’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars the week before.
The 2023 first-round selection of the Steelers from Georgia, Jones, performed admirably and managed to maintain his starting position at right tackle until the end of the campaign.
When asked if he would be open to playing for Pittsburgh again the following season, Okorafor remained silent.
“I don’t know what will happen in the upcoming year,” Okorafor remarked. “I wish I could tell you now it’s up to me, my agent and the [front office].”
Nevertheless, Okorafor wants to find a position where he can do that, whether it be with the Steelers or somewhere else. He feels he is still good enough to be a starter in this league.
“That’s the game plan,” he declared. “I feel like I’m young, I have a lot of ball left in me but I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
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