Like Larry Ogunjobi, the Pittsburgh Steelers are right where we are: sitting at home being mad. Although they managed to make the playoffs in 2023, they lost in the first round. It has now been seven years without a postseason victory, the longest drought in franchise history. The question is what to do next.
The first step is always taking stock of what happened and what is left. That’s part of the exit meeting process, in which coaches meet with each player. They discuss the season and their expectations moving forward—and potentially their role within it.
While we might not know all the details about what goes on between head coach Mike Tomlin and his players during these exit meetings, we do know how we would conduct those meetings if they were let up to us. So here are the Depot’s exit meetings for the Steelers’ roster following the 2023 season.
Player: Larry Ogunjobi
Position: Defensive Line
Experience: 7 Years
To describe Larry Ogunjobi’s two-year tenure with the Pittsburgh Steelers as disappointing is only fair. He has pocketed $20 million since originally signing in 2022, and there hasn’t been a whole lot to show for it.
By no means has he played poorly, but the Steelers are not getting what they paid for, either. The production isn’t there. Just three sacks in 17 games in 2023, for example, across 767 snaps played. He had fewer tackles this season than he did last year, and less than half the tackles for loss, seven to three. He had fewer quarterback hits even though he finished more with sacks. To his credit, he did force a fumble and batted two passes. But this is not eight-figures-a-year production.
The thing is, they’re not exactly in a position to move on from him. For one thing, Cameron Heyward is approaching the end of his career. Most seem to believe that he will have to accept a pay cut if he even wants to stay on the roster in 2024.
If you lose Heyward and Ogunjobi, then what do you have left? There’s the rub. Are you going to go into the season with Isaiahh Loudermilk and DeMarvin Leal as starters? Obviously not. Perhaps Armon Watts and Loudermilk. That’s more like it…right? No?
At least with Ogunjobi you get solid and competent play, even if he has not offered the dynamic playmaking hoped for. He flashes his athleticism and the potential for more than he has been delivering, but we are not yet in receipt of the package. And lest we forget, he’s playing next to T.J. Watt.
This is purely a question of salary, though. Make no mistake, Larry Ogunjobi is a good, solid football player. I could quite easily argue that he is more talented than his recent production has indicated. He could have the best season in his career in 2024 and I wouldn’t be at all surprised. But it’s hard not to want to see more than we have.
Ogunjobi is due nearly $10 million this season, nearly half of it in the form of a March roster bonus. He still has over $7 million worth of prorated signing bonus money on the books over the next two seasons. You could create millions in salary cap relief by cutting him, but enough to justify doing so? Probably not. Not without gaining the resources to replace him with a significant component.
