The Pittsburgh Steelers and general manager, Omar Khan will have several decisions to make over the next two months regarding soon-to-be free agents that may have played their last snaps with the franchise in 2022. The ability to free up cap space will come first and then prioritizing which guys to retain for at least another year will come after. One of the more underrated and consistent players for the team the last two seasons has been safety, Terrell Edmunds, who is staring at free agency for the second straight year.
Steelers safety Terrell Edmunds (#34) runs a drill during 2022 training camp at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA. | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers’ Terrell Edmunds' Spirited Tease: He and Tremaine Will Be the Next Set of 2 Brothers In Pittsburgh
After his fifth-year option was not picked up back in 2021, he still found his way back in 2022 on a new one-year, $2.54 million deal. He has been a great compliment to All-Pro, Minkah Fitzpatrick and the Steelers would be searching for a replacement if he isn't willing to return on a rather team-friendly deal in 2023.
Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote Tuesday that the five-year veteran is going to take his time when diving into the free agency process in a short couple of months.
"I’m going to talk to them and go from there and take it slow. I’ve been through the process before," Edmunds said. I really understand everything and we’ll take it slow and figure out what’s next."
Pittsburgh Steelers safety, Terrell Edmunds dives in an attempt to make an interception during a 2022 preseason game versus the Detroit Lions at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA. | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
While it is no guarantee that the Steelers organization puts an offer out on the table for Edmunds, the safety believes that he played as hard as he could this past season, but not necessarily to prove something. He wanted to be part of a successful football team:
"I just tried to be the best team player I could be. Wherever they put me, just go out there and try to make plays and try to help the team out the best way I can. It wasn’t about trying to prove myself; it was more so about trying to win games.
It was never, ‘I’ll show them.’ It was just continue to do what you do, just continue to give 110%, just really buy in."
Pittsburgh Steelers safety, Terrell Edmunds stands on the field at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA. | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Edmunds showed an incredible amount of maturity in saying that the contract didn't mean very much to him. He was signed on a bargain last off-season, but he still gave his all on the field.
"I think the guys around me, the people I wanted to play for, they gave me everything, I gave them everything. That’s something I wanted to do. Put out 110% for them, regardless of the contract, regardless what I was paid. Just go out there and put everything out there for the guys around me."
He even went on to say that Pittsburgh is 'home base' for him. It was the franchise that gave him his first ever NFL opportunity and certainly has a special place in his heart:
"This is home base. They gave me the opportunity to do what I love, they gave me the opportunity to be an NFL player, and I can’t say thank you enough to that," Edmunds said. If they do offer me another deal, of course I’ll definitely try to make things work and go from there."
Do you want to see Edmunds return to the Steelers locker room next season? Let us know in the comments below!
#SteelerNation
