Over the last week, Bud Dupree, a former first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers, was reportedly talking with a handful of teams and the Steelers were among them. There was a small chance that he would land back in Pittsburgh, and those chances are now finished as he is signing a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Chargers, according to Tom Pelissero on X.
Ian Rapoport followed up on X with the contract value, and it is a two-year deal with $6 million in base pay and incentives to max out at $10 million.
Dupree was selected in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Steelers with the 22nd overall pick. His fifth-year option was picked up following the 2017 season and then he was franchise tagged after the fifth year to keep him in Pittsburgh through 2020. He then went on to play for the Tennessee Titans for two seasons before spending last year in Atlanta, where he played under head coach Arthur Smith, now the Steelers’ offensive coordinator.
Over his six seasons with the Steelers, he started 66 games and played in 81, with 231 total tackles, 169 solo tackles, 54 tackles for loss, 39.5 sacks, 11 passes defensed, eight forced fumbles, one interception, and one defensive touchdown. He picked things up after a slow first few seasons and finished strong in Pittsburgh, though his final season in 2020 was cut short by an ACL injury sustained in Week 12 of the season.
He never quite regained his previous form over the last three years with just 13.5 sacks, but his 2023 season was the best he had since leaving the Steelers.
According to Jeremy Fowler on X, reuniting with the Steelers was a strong consideration, but the Chargers sold him on a three-rusher set with Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa. Had he returned to Pittsburgh, he would have been firmly behind both T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. The Steelers also have Nick Herbig, who proved he has a lot to offer in his rookie season last year, so a reunion with Dupree didn’t make a ton of sense in the first place.
The Steelers play the Chargers in 2024 at home, so Dupree will be returning to Pittsburgh at some point during the season – just not as a member of the Black and Gold.
