Unlike Terrell Edmunds, The Steelers Were Never Interested In Bringing Back Devin Bush In 2023

This offseason has proved to be very eventful for Omar Khan and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The team has done an exceptional job of bringing in starting quality players at positions of need, but have also seen impending free agent players decide to play elsewhere such as Terrell Edmunds, Robert Spillane, Cam Sutton, and Steven Sims. One additional player who will not be returning to Pittsburgh next year is linebacker Devin Bush. While the Steelers may have had an interest in the players mentioned above, it has become increasingly obvious that the organization had zero interest in bringing back Bush for the 2023 season. 

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writer, Gerry Dulac recently posted a chat transcript in which he answered various questions regarding the Steelers. One of the questions asked had to deal with impending free agent players for the Steelers who willingly accept the offer to play for a new team. As previously reported, the Steelers did indeed have interest in bringing back veteran defensive back, Terrell Edmunds. The exact details of the Steelers' offer is unknown, but it is likely that it was similar to the one-year, $2.5 million deal he signed with the team in 2022. Ultimately, he opted to choose to decline Omar Khan's offer and accept a one-year, $2 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. 

In the same question, Dulac answered that the Steelers did not make any type of offer to Devin Bush. This should serve as no surprise to anyone as the Steelers were quick to sign both Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts prior to Bush ultimately inking a deal with the Seattle Seahawks. More likely than not, even if the Steelers offered Bush any type of contract, it would have been hard to imagine a scenario where Bush would be back with the team for 2023 and beyond. He simply did not perform consistently enough in 2022 to merit the Steelers having serious interest in offering him a contract. 

Devin Bush: A Rare Example Of A Player Leaving The Steelers On Bad Terms

More often than not, Steelers players who end up joining a new team in free agency leave the organization thankful for their time in Pittsburgh. This offseason was a tremendous example of this in action. Cam Sutton, Steven Sims, and Terrell Edmunds all left heartfelt messages via their social media accounts after signing with new teams. Unsurprisingly, Devin Bush did no such thing. 

While there are certainly other ways to show gratitude towards a former team, it has certainly seemed as if Bush is thrilled for a fresh start in Seattle, as he should be. For the Steelers, as tempting as it may have been to attempt to offer Bush a one-year, low-money, "prove it" type of deal, they ultimately did the right thing by choosing to completely revamp their inside linebacker room. 

Perhaps Bush never felt fully welcome by Steelers' fans due to his inconsistent play for the black and gold during his four seasons with the team. Whether this is the case or not, Bush more than likely knew that 2022 would be his last campaign with the Steelers before the season even started. At only 24 years old, Bush still has plenty of football left in him. One would think that the front office would at least consider bringing him back with him still being so young, but this was not the case. Devin Bush will forever be known as one of the biggest "what ifs" in the modern history of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Only time will tell if they made the correct decision or not. 

Thoughts, Steeler Nation? 

The 2023 NFL Draft is upon us, Steeler Nation. This article will likely serve as one of the final pieces on Devin Bush. Therefore, now is the time to let your voice be heard regarding his time in Pittsburgh. Do you feel as if the Steelers made the right decision by moving on? Let's hear it in the comments! 

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