At the end of the 1996 NFL season, the contract for Rod Woodson was expiring and it was going to force the Pittsburgh Steelers to make a very big, and as it turned out, very controversial decision.
Woodson was arguably behind only Joe Greene on the pantheon of all-time Steelers greats as the cornerback was the cornerstone of the transition from the "Steel Curtain" to "Blitzburgh," which gave the Steelers defense its own identity which lives on through this day. He was one of only five active players to be named to the NFL 75th Anniversary Team and he overcame an ACL tear in Week 1 of the 1995 NFL season to play in Super Bowl XXX.
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Woodson was coming off another Pro Bowl season in 1996, though it was considered a “down” year by his standards. He was still hampered by the injury to his right knee and underwent an arthroscopic procedure to clean a bone chip and scar tissue that were aftereffects of his ACL injury. Despite not being 100%, he still had 6 interceptions, including returning both an interception and a fumble back for TDs – output that has not been matched by a Steelers cornerback since. But the back-to-back seasons of injuries to the knee concerned the front office. In the end, the negotiations turned sour, and the Steelers signed former Pro Bowl cornerback Donnell Woolford and used their 1997 first-round pick to draft cornerback in Chad Scott.
Bill Cowher once said “[Woodson] was without a doubt the best football player I coached in my fifteen years” and gave some insight on the decision in his book - Heart and Steel:
He’d earned a substantial contract, but when our doctors examined him, they decided he probably wouldn’t be able to play more than one or two seasons. Based on that advice, his age (32), and the cost to sign him, we didn’t offer him a contract. It was a painful decision. Rod was one of the best and toughest players, at any position, I’d ever seen. I knew from coaching him that he’d find a way to defy the odds; I’d seen him both study himself and will himself to greatness. He signed with the 49ers.
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Clearly the Steelers doctors were wrong, and the organization made a mistake - one that Dan Rooney openly admitted to regretting. However, there were even rumors that Tom Donahoe made disparaging remarks about Woodson behind closed doors and perhaps didn't negotiate in good faith.
For all the concern about Woodson’s knee, it held up fine enough for him to rack up another 33 career interceptions, returning 6 for TDs and played in 2 more Super Bowls. Ironically, Woolford had a career ending knee injury in 1997 and Scott missed the entire 1998 season with a torn ACL that likely prevented him from living up to his full potential.
How would things have turned out if Woodson stayed and retired a Steeler? Leave a comment below.
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