This offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers added a handful of talented veterans, including Aaron Rodgers, Darius Slay, and Jalen Ramsey. The common theme with those players is that their best days in the NFL are likely behind them. However, the Steelers want to be Super Bowl contenders this year, and they’re hoping those players can get them over the hump. They also tried to add another veteran in fullback Kyle Juszczyk, but he opted to return to the San Francisco 49ers. Recently, Juszczyk shared why he didn’t join the Steelers.
“It was a different experience,” Juszczyk told The Athletic’s Vic Tafur. “It was a chance to go look at a different team and I felt a lot of love from them. I got excited for a second about what possibly could be, about new beginnings and fitting into a new offense, all that type of stuff.
“And I genuinely enjoyed my time with Arthur Smith and Mike Tomlin so much. I have so much respect for those guys. But at the end of the day, it just wasn’t enough to trump what I had in San Francisco. I just couldn’t pull the plug.”
Juszczyk is one of the most decorated fullbacks in the NFL. Spending time with the 49ers and Baltimore Ravens, he’s made nine Pro Bowls as well as being named a first-team All-Pro once and a second-team All-Pro once. While he’s 34 this season, he still looked like a quality player in 2024.
Smith likely would’ve loved to deploy a weapon like Juszczyk, who is not your average fullback. Juszczyk can do everything from blocking to running the ball to catching passes. His versatility would make him a quality addition to any offense.
Unfortunately, he had too much love for the 49ers to leave them this offseason. That makes sense, considering that he’s been there for eight seasons. Also, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan might be best suited for utilizing Juszczyk’s skill set. He’s a creative offensive mind who routinely puts together some of the best running games in the league.
While Smith’s run-heavy offense would’ve benefitted from a true fullback like Juszczyk, it wasn’t meant to be. It’s hard to lure players away from teams they’ve been attached to for so long. With Juszczyk being familiar with the AFC North, he probably would’ve fit like a glove with the Steelers, too. Fans can only dream of what that union would’ve looked like.
