The Pittsburgh Steelers' 2023 season had its share of ups and downs. They made the AFC playoffs and won 10 games. They also fired their offensive coordinator and used three different starting quarterbacks during the season. Omar Khan and Andy Weidl produced the best rookie draft class in recent memory, but Pittsburgh extended their playoff losing streak to five consecutive games over the last seven seasons. Nothing is easy about rooting for the Steelers when seemingly every positive development is offset by a negative one.
Karl Roser / pittsburgh steelers
Steelers kicker Chris Boswell (#9) had one of his best seasons in 2023.
The special teams unit is another prime example. Chris Boswell had one of his best seasons as a kicker and was snubbed for the Pro Bowl. Pressley Harvin III however, had a third consecutive inconsistent season and was finally shown the door by the organization. The Steelers are searching for a punter, but there is one stone that the organization left intentionally unturned. They did not sign free agent Matt Araiza, commonly known as the "Punt God."
Adrian Kraus / Associated Press
Former Buffalo Bills punter, Matt Araiza (#19) has signed with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Steelers Could Have Fixed Disastrous Punting Situation With "Punt God"
Araiza was selected in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft to be the Buffalo Bills punter. He was accused of rape and was released the day after the Bills final 2022 preseason game. The San Diego County District Attorney's office decided not to file criminal charges. Araiza was eligible to be signed by any NFL team during the 2023 season, but did not get a contract offer. The Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs signed Araiza this past Wednesday. This prompted KDKA's Bob Pompeani on The Joe Starkey Show to ask why the Steelers did not sign him.
"Matt Araiza signs a contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. He is looked at as one of the best college punters. He had a good opportunity with your hometown of Buffalo," Pompeani said to Joe Starkey. "He allegedly got into some trouble, but he has been exonerated of all of this. Nobody would give him a shot, but Kansas City finally did. Why wouldn't the Steelers do that, they need a punter? Especially after everything has been dropped."
The presumption of innocence is hard to maintain in the eyes of the public. The San Diego authorities preserved Araiza's legal rights and ultimately declined to prosecute him, but the court of public opinion convicted him. Araiza lost his ability to make a living doing the job he wanted to do for two years. His ability to punt a football convinced the Chiefs that any public backlash to the signing would be worth it.
"Good question. It's a good question," Starkey replied. "I'm reading about this, I always want to be extra, extra careful and know the history. It would seem he's been completely exonerated and doesn't have any outstanding allegations still against him. I don't know why you wouldn't. If you believe that nothing wrong happened here, he would have been a guy you signed."
Starkey was couching his answer and giving the organization the benefit of the doubt. Pittsburgh dealt with the repercussions of Ben Roethlisberger being accused of sexual misconduct, and though no criminal charges were filed, he still served a four-game suspension in 2010. The Steelers and Roethlisberger dealt with the fallout for years after the incident, so the hesitancy to jump back into that frying pan by Art Rooney II is understandable.
"Kansas City had a decent punter to begin with, they didn't need a punter," Pompeani concluded. "The Steelers actually released their punter. I just wonder about that. I would of signed him."
The NFL has dealt with multiple scandals in the 21st century. Araiza's incident was ugly, but hardly an isolated one. Numerous players have been accused of domestic battery, sexual assault, and even murder. The sad reality is that the public has come to expect these incidents, and accused players who return to the field and perform at the highest levels can erase seedy behavior with high-level production.
It is one of the critical markers of the generational gap that exists in Steeler Nation. The rose-colored glasses of older fans sometimes blind us to the fact that the league and society have changed. The Rooney Family were not saints who employed choir boys when the Steelers were winning Super Bowl championships in the 1970s. The players had their own problems that pale in comparison to what is tolerated in the current NFL, but they did have issues.
Harry Cabluck / Associated Press
Steelers' Dan Rooney and his father Art Rooney during the 1970 NFL Draft.
The Steeler Way can be a shield that the fan base can hold up to shut out the modern world, and there is a real comfort that at least one institution of our youth is not corrupted. In reality, that shield changes constantly. It steadily shrinks for older fans and grows with each passing game for the next generation. We don't have to like it, but we do have to accept it.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Do you agree with Pompeani that the Steelers should have signed Araiza? Please comment below or on my Twitter/X: @thebubbasq.
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