Russell Okung is easily one of the top tackles still available to be signed to a team.
The Pittsburgh Steelers don’t have a ton of money left, but they are being pegged as the team to sign him, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell predicted.
The logic behind Barnwell’s prediction:
Prediction: Signs one-year, $6.5 million deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers
“One more first-rounder to complete the set. I’m stunned that Okung hasn’t yet signed a contract, given that he’s the last useful left tackle standing on the open market in a league where a handful of competitive teams still need to lock down their quarterback’s blindside. Okung missed time with a pulmonary embolism in 2019 and a calf injury last season, but he was a solid left tackle when on the field.
The Steelers have been pinching pennies just to get under the salary cap, but if there’s any position where they need to spend money, it’s at left tackle. Pittsburgh let Alejandro Villanueva move on this past season, leaving Chukwuma Okorafor as the favorite to start on the line’s most important position. Okorafor started last year at right tackle after Zach Banner went down injured, but Ben Roethlisberger would be staring down one of the least imposing sets of starting tackles in the league on paper without an addition. It might take voidable years or a Dogecoin option to get the deal done, but Okung would be a major upgrade for a team that has one more shot with Roethlisberger.”
Unfortunately for the Steelers — Okung does not agree as he took to Twitter to shut it down.
Okung has been in the league since 2010 and during his tenure in the NFL has made two Pro Bowls. Okung, who is a free agent offensive lineman, played for the Carolina Panthers in 2020.
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Okung received half of his $13 million salary in Bitcoin. He had been one of the biggest proponents of Bitcoin in the sports world.
