Report: Pittsburgh Steelers Unlikely To Cut LaMarr Woodley Or Sign Jason Worilds
By Matt Shetler
Since the clock hit triple zeroes and the Pittsburgh Steelers finished the 2013 season with the identical 8-8 record that they had in 2012, the biggest storyline surrounding the team has been what to do at the outside linebacker position pertaining to both LaMarr Woodley and unrestricted free agent Jason Worilds.
While many Steelers fans would hope the team would cut ties with Woodley and re-sign Worilds, at least one NFL insider doesn’t see that happening.
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
CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora shed some light on the subject during an appearance on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh, and what he said doesn’t provide a whole lot of optimism for the Steelers inking Worilds to a new deal.
La Canfora said in his opinion, he sees the Steelers keeping the high-priced Woodley around, despite a salary that will see him make $8 million in 2014 after he made $3.6 million in another unproductive season in 2013.
As I examined before, Woodley’s cap hit is even worse than his salary, as he will eat up $13.5 million in the 2014 season, compared to $9.1 million last year.
He also doesn’t believe that the Steelers will be able to sign Worilds as there will be a strong market for the four-year pro.
"“I don’t think they’re cutting Woodley. I think there’s going to be a real strong market for Jason Worilds. I don’t think it’s limited to 3-4 teams, either. I think there are some 4-3 teams that are intrigued by him as well. I think he’s gone, I do. I think they’ll have a hard time retaining him.”"
If that is the case, do the Steelers now turn their attention to looking for an outside linebacker in the draft for the second consecutive year?
Only one thing is for sure at this point and that is it is going to be very interesting to see how the Woodley-Worilds situation plays out as it will have a major impact on the rest of the Steelers’ offseason.