Pittsburgh Steelers Free Agency: Casey Hampton, Max Starks still options
By Matt Shetler
When the Pittsburgh Steelers came to terms on a three-year deal with nose tackle Steve McLendon, many felt it closed the door on Casey Hampton’s Steelers career. The same could be said for offensive tackle Max Starks as it looked like his career in black-and-gold was all but over thanks to a ton of young offensive linemen who will likely be playing in 2013.
October 7, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers nose tackle Casey Hampton (98) reacts to the crowd as he takes the field against the Philadelphia Eagles at Heinz Field. The Pittsburgh Steelers won 16-14. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Not so fast.
Maybe Hampton and Starks are still a part of the Steelers plans after all.
Steelers’ general manager Kevin Colbert said at Monday’s pre-draft press conference, though, that he hasn’t “closed the door” on re-signing either veteran.
Whether they do or not will likely be determined by how the Steelers draft goes this week.
Neither player is viewed as a starter at this point in their careers. With that being said, if the Steelers feel they have good enough depth following the draft then they will move on from both Hampton and Starks. If they don’t though, one or both could still be a part of their plans.
How the draft turns out will also will go a long way toward determining if the team decides to sign running back Ahmad Bradshaw.
Starks has always been pretty reliable and could probably play a couple more seasons in the NFL and although Hampton’s best days are clearly behind him, he has also said that he would like to play two more years in the league.
Don’t rule either guy out of the Steelers plans just yet.