Although it’s likely Donte Moncrief could’ve chosen to play for several teams, especially in a weak free agent market for the position, there was no hesitation when the Pittsburgh Steelers gave his agent a ring. Sitting down with Steelers.com’s Missi Matthews for a one-on-one interview, he explained how the process in becoming a Steeler. It was a lot briefer and uncomplicated than you might think.
“As soon as I got the call from Pitt, my agent called me,” Moncrief told Matthews. “He told me what the deal was and I said yes.”
Simple as that. Get the call, hear the terms, sign the contract. Perhaps it was the impression he got during his 2014 pre-draft visit that made the Steelers an easy place to call home. He recounted his few hours in Pittsburgh during that time.
“First time I came I was super nervous. And the first guy I saw was Mike [Tomlin]. He told me my strengths when I was in college, he told me my weaknesses when I was in college, told me things I could work on coming into the draft. Just coming into the building, you can feel the energy here. Meeting some of the older guys, you could tell what they believe in is winning. They work hard.”
Winning is something that’s eluded Moncrief since his rookie year. That first year, a healthy Andrew Luck led the Colts to the AFC Title game before getting swatted away by, who else, the New England Patriots in blowout fashion. Since then, he hasn’t been part of a team that’s done better than 8-8. Last year, he slogged his way through a miserable season, playing on a 5-11 Jaguars’ team, the league’s second most inept offense and catching passes from Blake Bortles and Cody Kessler.
In Pittsburgh, he’ll get a first ballot Hall of Famer in Ben Roethlisberger and likely, a team that finishes with a winning record. There’s also some familiar faces in the building, too. He played at Ole Miss with Mike Hilton and Lavon Hooks. And as you know, has already spoke with Roethlisberger, who sounded eager to get some throws in later this offseason.
