Pittsburgh Steelers Rumors: Jason Worilds open to returning as a starter
By Matt Shetler
While all eyes Sunday will be on the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been busy preparing for the offseason for some time now.
Another guy anxiously awaiting the offseason to begin is Steelers’ outside linebacker Jason Worilds as the 25-year old is prepared to cash in as a free agent on the open market after a very positive 2013 campaign.
Jun 11, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Jason Worilds (93) participates in agility drills during minicamp at the UPMC Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
The only question left to be asked is whether or not Worilds future will be with the Steelers?
According to ESPN’s Scott Brown, Worilds will be open to re-signing with the Steelers before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in March. However there is one catch- Worilds must be guaranteed a starting job.
On the surface, despite Worilds leading the Steelers with eight sacks in 2013, starting 11 games, which may be something that the Steelers won’t be able to guarantee.
Worilds also finished second on the team with 29 quarterback pressures and recorded 63 tackles with two forced fumbles, however when asked about a return to Pittsburgh, he didn’t sound too confident about coming back without a starting job.
"“If the circumstances are right, for sure,” Worilds told Brown during a telephone interview. “They haven’t been right for me in the past. I wouldn’t want to fall back into (not starting) again.”"
At the end of the day, Worilds return to Pittsburgh likely hinges on what the Steelers decide to do with fellow outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley.
Woodley, who signed a six-year, $61.5 contract in 2011, is scheduled to make $8 million in 2014 with a salary cap hit of $13.59 million. The seven-year veteran could be a cap casualty, and the Steelers would save millions in regards to the cap if they released Woodley after June 1.
However by June, Worilds will already be wearing another uniform.
The Steelers are currently around $10 million over the cap, and it would be difficult for them to clear the kind of room it would take to re-sign Worilds and keep Woodley.
Worilds also told Brown that the organization hasn’t hinted to him at what their plans are regarding both he and Woodley’s situations.
“I’ve just been patient and (waiting to) see how the Steelers view me,” said Worilds, who has been training in his native New Jersey. “The biggest thing is just being in the right situation.”
When the final whistle of Super Bowl XLVIII blows, teams like the Steelers will be forced to make some pretty tough decisions.
None is bigger than what to do at outside linebacker as they very well could watch another young and talented player walk out the door.