Pittsburgh Steelers LS Christian Kuntz signed a three-year extension this offseason to keep him in Pittsburgh for the foreseeable future, but when he was just starting out with Pittsburgh, he didn’t have a stable role. Kuntz, who was a linebacker before transitioning to long snapper, was cut by the Steelers after training camp in 2019, and in 2020, he bounced on and off the team’s practice squad. In between his stints on the practice squad, Kuntz revealed to Cameron Heyward on his Not Just Football podcast that he worked installing electric fences for dogs.
“They’d call me, I’d sign, I’d practice for two days and they’d cut me and then I’d go back to putting in dog fences,” Kuntz said.
Kuntz shouted out the company and seemed to really enjoy his experience working for it.
“Pittsburgh Pet Fence. If anyone needs a dog fence in the Pittsburgh area,” he said.
Players on the practice squad aren’t living a life of luxury that some superstars can afford to live, with the salary for practice squad players ranging from $12,000 to $20,600 a week. Of course, that’s money a lot of people would take in a heartbeat, but your job is also never safe on the practice squad, and the Steelers cut Kuntz three times in the 2020 season. He was waived after initial roster cuts, signed to the practice squad on Nov. 24, was cut on Dec. 23, re-signed on Dec. 29, and then released again on Jan. 6.
Given the job uncertainty, Kuntz found a way to supplement his income and a job that would take him back whenever he needed. While we don’t always hear about it, I’m sure a lot of guys on practice squads around the league have some sort of job they can work if they wind up getting cut and need to work.
Kuntz grinded and made it as Pittsburgh’s long snapper, even though he started his NFL journey and his first stint with Pittsburgh as a linebacker, actually recording a sack in the preseason in 2019. But not everyone can go from the practice squad to someone with a comfortable roster spot at the NFL level. It makes sense why a lot of guys likely would have another job and something they can rely on if the NFL dream just doesn’t work out, which is the unfortunate reality for most guys who enter the league.
