The Pittsburgh Steelers gave rookie QB John Rhys Plumlee a $35,000 signing bonus, which is a lot—for them. In fact, it’s the largest signing bonus they have ever given to sign a college free agent, to our knowledge. But here’s the important part: they gave that signing bonus to him as a quarterback.
There had been some debate about the multi-sport athlete, given that he also played wide receiver in college. However, the Steelers, Plumlee says, like him as a quarterback. At least, they like him as an athletic, mobile quarterback, as befitting their new room.
“With their belief in me, that is one thing that was super appealing. You want to go somewhere you feel like you’re wanted, and I feel like I’m wanted”, Plumlee told Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “Pittsburgh believed in me as a quarterback, and that’s why I’m here”.
Given that the Steelers gave him a $35,000 signing bonus, we can reasonably deduce that they had competition for him. Quarterbacks typically receive the largest signing bonuses, as you would expect, but the Steelers gave out the biggest signing bonus in their rookie pool ever to land him.
Plumlee now joins a quarterback room that includes Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, and Kyle Allen. All of them joined the team in various ways just this offseason, all veterans. The Steelers parted with all three quarterbacks they had retained throughout the previous two seasons, remaking the entire room.
And Plumlee fits the new mold of athleticism highlighted by Wilson and especially Fields. It’s something head coach Mike Tomlin has wanted for years, and now has. But the rookie has a great deal to prove if he wants to earn a roster spot.
In the meantime, he’s just excited about the opportunity. Not just the opportunity in Pittsburgh, but the opportunity to concentrate on one thing. He also played baseball in college and dabbled in other positions. Now with the Steelers, he’s just John Rhys Plumlee, quarterback.
Mobile quarterback, that is, and he understands that’s a big part of his draw. “I think I bring a third dimension to an offense that not a lot of teams can account for”, he told Rutter. “We have guys who look like me a little bit, super-athletic guys, guys who can extend plays. I think that is something that drew their interest”.
After all, if you have one athletic quarterback, you might as well collect them. If you formulate an offense with an athletic component at the quarterback position, you want your backup to have that capability. The Steelers obviously have that in Wilson and Fields, and Allen to a lesser extent, and Plumlee joins the mix, too.
Over the past two seasons for UCF, Plumlee rushed for 1,367 yards with 16 touchdowns. He even caught a 16-yard pass. Back at Ole Miss, he has a 1,000-yard rushing season on his resume, and a 19-catch, 201-yard campaign. And he understands that he only does himself a service to keep his mind open.
“I’ve been one of those guys that prepares for an opportunity whether or not you know it’s coming,”, he told Rutter. Who knows? Perhaps down the line the Steelers decide they want to look at him at wide receiver. Is he going to say no thank you?
