Pittsburgh Steelers Exit Meeting: DL Larry Ogunjobi
Experience: 8 Years (3 with Steelers)
Steelers DL Larry Ogunjobi has spent his entire career in the AFC North, jumping from team to team. Drafted by the Browns, he spent the 2021 season with the Bengals. After another deal fell through in 2022 elsewhere, he eventually signed with the Steelers on a one-year prove-it deal.
The Steelers evidently felt Ogunjobi had proven enough, or at least did so relative to the alternatives. They promptly signed him to a three-year, $29 million deal, from which 2025 would be the last. Most analysts agree that he is unlikely to see that last year, though, and for good reason.
Simply put, his production hasn’t matched his price tag. Since signing with the Steelers, Larry Ogunjobi has played in 48 games, starting 45. During that time, he has 132 tackles, 15 for loss, six sacks, and two passes defensed, with one forced fumble. These numbers are a good year or year and a half for Cameron Heyward, but it took him twice as long.
Last season, Ogunjobi missed two games, playing just 492 snaps. He finished with 41 tackles, five for loss, 1.5 sacks, and seven quarterback hits. Is this type of statistical output worth the $7 million the Steelers owe him next season?
The Steelers initially signed Larry Ogunjobi out of desperation. They waited for as long as they could for Stephon Tuitt, who ultimately retired after over a year of the team waiting, following the tragic death of his brother in a hit-and-run accident.
Ogunjobi had a breakout season for the Bengals a year prior but was also coming off a foot injury. He agreed to a big deal with the Chicago Bears, but they rescinded it after a failed physical. He remained unsigned until months later when the Steelers approached him following Tuitt’s retirement.
That’s how he got here, and it also seems to be how he got an extension the following year. The Steelers obviously hoped Ogunjobi would return to form, but really, he has just maintained “okay” for three years running. Rather than pay him another $7 million for more of the same, they could try another option in free agency. And chances are high they will draft a defensive lineman early this year, perhaps in the first round.
The Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves at home, the inevitable result of another early playoff exit. This is a repeated pattern for the organization, with no clear end in sight. As the Steelers conduct their own exit meetings, we will go down the roster conducting our own. Who should stay, and who should go, and how? Who should expect a bigger role next season, and who might deserve a new contract? We’ll explore those questions and more in these articles, part of an annual series.
