It was quite interesting in the middle of February that it took the Pittsburgh Steelers eight days to officially release offensive tackle Chukwuma Okorafor, especially after the team announced it had released him the same day as quarterback Mitch Trubisky and punter Pressley Harvin III.
Turns out, that was because the Steelers were engaged in Okorafor trade talks.
According to Pro Football Focus’ Brad Spielberger, the Steelers were talking with some teams regarding a trade of Okorafor. Ultimately, nothing came to pass, and the Steelers released him officially on Feb. 20.
“Okorafor is a capable starting right tackle, and there was enough trade interest after his release was announced that the Steelers held onto him for a few days to see if they could work something out with a new club,” Spielberger writes while highlighting Okorafor him as one of the best deals after the first day of the legal tampering window.
There was some speculation that the Steelers’ delay in making the release official was that they were exploring a trade, but no reports ever materialized to that effect.
Now, Spielberger confirms it.
The Steelers ultimately weren’t able to move him via trade, which led to Okorafor signing with the New England Patriots on March 7 on a one-year deal that has a base value of $4 million. Okorafor can earn up to $8.25 million in the deal with the Patriots, likely based on incentives. The $8.25 million is just below the $8.75 million that Okorafor was set to make in Pittsburgh for the 2024 season.
Okorafor’s release from the Steelers in mid-February was largely anticipated after he was benched ahead of the Week 9 matchup against the Tennessee Titans for rookie Broderick Jones. The Steelers, to their credit, tried to trade him and get something in return for the Western Michigan product.
Though that ultimately didn’t happen, it was still smart of the Steelers and GM Omar Khan to try and trade him, rather than release him.
A third-round pick of the Steelers in the 2017 NFL Draft, Okorafor started 59 games for the franchise in his tenure, including all 16 games in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, becoming one of the more durable players for the Steelers along the offensive line.
But during the 2023 season he found himself in Mike Tomlin’s doghouse, leading to him losing his job. Okorafor was benched, reportedly for something he said during the team’s Week 8 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, leading to the change to Jones, who started every game from Week 9 on at right tackle.
