Just over a week ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers made their biggest free agency splash, inking OG Isaac Seumalo to a three-year deal worth $24 million. Additional offensive line help following the Nate Herbig signing, Seumalo is a slam-dunker starter and signing in the same category as the team bringing in James Daniels in 2022.
Though Seumalo was a popular free agent with experience and coming off a strong season in Philadelphia, he was drawn to sign with Pittsburgh. Seumalo joined SiriusXM NFL Radio’s Alex Marvez Thursday evening and explained what made him want to become a Steeler.
“Everything I’ve always heard about Mike Tomlin and the organization and the people there in the city has always been positive,” Seumalo told Marvez. ” I just couldn’t turn down an offer like that, to play for another passionate fan base and a team that’s looking to win now.”
It’s a common response we’ve heard from free agent signings over the years. The respect and admiration for Mike Tomlin being the reason players want to sign with Pittsburgh. While the Steelers’ success in recent years has been underwhelming, there’s stability under Tomlin. As much as there can be in the NFL, there’s an assurance Tomlin won’t be fired, a new coaching staff won’t come in with a different worldview and desire to bring in their own guys, leaving everyone else in the lurch. Linebacker Elandon Roberts and cornerback Patrick Peterson had similar reasons for signing this offseason.
While Seumalo didn’t have a relationship with Tomlin, he does know two members of the Steelers’ front office from his time with the Eagles: Assistant GM Andy Weidl and Scouting Coordinator Casey Weidl along with teammate and fellow OG Nate Herbig.
“Andy Weidl and Casey were both with Philadelphia when I was there and then moved onto Pittsburgh recently. So there was a connection there. And then Nate Herbig, who also signed there, is a former teammate and a real good friend of mine.”
The Weidl brothers return to Western PA. Pittsburgh natives who grew up in the city with Andy Weidl’s first NFL job coming with the Steelers in the late 90s, it’s a logical fit all around. Herbig and Seumalo are close, as evident by this postgame photo of the two following last year’s matchup between the Eagles and New York Jets.
Herbig’s role is unclear, he may start the season as a backup, but for his first new NFL team since being drafted, there’s plenty of familiar faces for Seumalo. That all matters when a player makes a free agency decision and Seumalo should have an immediate impact on the Steelers as they push to get back into the postseason and earn their first playoff victory since 2016.
