The Pittsburgh Steelers needed a safety but filled it with DeShon Elliott this offseason. Next year, they could still be in the market for someone, and one of the possible players they could pursue is Damar Hamlin, who will be a free agent in 2025. After the journey the Central Catholic graduate and former Pitt safety has been through, he now hits free agency after returning to the field with the Buffalo Bills this past season.
When the Bills came to Pittsburgh for the preseason, Hamlin made multiple tackles and his family from nearby McKees Rocks came to watch. Hamlin reflected on that and checked a goal off his bucket list, which was to play an NFL game in Pittsburgh.
“(Playing an NFL game in Pittsburgh is) definitely off the bucket list,” Hamlin said. “I always wanted to come back into this stadium as a pro, play in front of the home city. Last year was super fun in Buffalo. People talking stuff all week. Even my friends, they’re diehard Steeler fans. So they love us all year, but when we play the Steelers, they can choose sides. But it’s all love on both sides.”
Now back in his hometown for the offseason, Hamlin is helping out around the community and making appearances. However, when he does hit free agency, what if he did not have to go far? Last month, at an event hosted by Billy Lesnak at Steel City Collectibles on behalf of Fantics Collectives to celebrate National Trading Card Day, Hamlin had an in-depth discussion about his journey and where to go from here, and he made it clear that he hopes to play for the Steelers.
“I think ending my career, finishing, as a Pittsburgh Steeler would be a dream. I played at Pitt so you know I was in the stadium. I played at Heinz Field probably for like eight years straight between WPIAL championships and Pitt so a dream come true would be finishing my career as a Steeler,” Hamlin said.
Hamlin was one of over 400 hobby shops that celebrated the event, with other notable celebrities like Odell Beckham Jr., Tom Brady, Kevin Durant, Joe Burrow, Meek Mill, and others appearing throughout the day. And that answer was just one part of the interactions that Hamlin had with children, survivors, and other people in the Pittsburgh area.
However, Hamlin walked back that comment, wanting to clarify that it came from the perspective of his childhood, rather than saying he wants to go there next year.
“First and foremost, I want to clear the air,” Hamlin said on the Ed Mylett Show. “I want to be a Buffalo Bill for life because that’s the team that took a chance on me. When I answered that question, I answered it from the perspective of a childhood perspective. I had the dream for a long time of just making it to the NFL and just being able to have the opportunity to take care of my family and give back to my community, something that I just didn’t have as a kid growing up. The question they asked me, I answered it from a childhood perspective, and I also answered it from the perspective of, no, I don’t want to play for the Steelers right because I’m a Buffalo Bill.”
The Steelers could sign Hamlin next year after his rookie contract runs out with the Bills. But it remains to be seen where the team’s needs will be and what Hamlin’s intentions will be when he enters the free agency market a year from now.
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