Former Steelers LB Hopeful That Chukwuma Okorafor Goes To An AFC North Rival

The day after Super Bowl LVIII, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced the release of punter Pressley Harvin, quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, and offensive tackle Chukwuma Okorafor. While everyone understands that football is a business (and that teams and players sometimes need to move on from each other), usually you hope that the player, especially if they're is exceptional, doesn't join a division rival.     

However, in the case of former Steelers linebacker, Arthur Moats, he hopes that Okorafor signs with a team in the AFC North. Okorafor, 26, has spent his whole career in Pittsburgh after being selected in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft. During his six seasons in Pittsburgh, he made 59 starts and played in 77 games. During his first few seasons, he was a constant presence on the right side of the line. 

Now as Okorafor heads out of Pittsburgh, Moats says he wishes him well and hopes he gets a fresh start in a new city; a new city that happens to be in the same division as the Steelers.

"I think for Chuks, he's definitely going to land on his feet when you talk about big athletics guys. It's not a lot of them walking around, especially at the NFL level. We see some of these tackles that to me are a lot worse than Chuks and they get paid. He's going to find somewhere, he's going to land, hopefully for us, to be in the division because I do think we match really well versus him," said Moats.

Moats is talking about how our defense matched up against Okorafor during team practices and scrimmages. Our defense was able to exploit Okorafor's weakness and the holes he allowed in the offensive line. 

Okorafor was benched during the 2023 season due to "disciplinary reasons." Head Coach Mike Tomlin was typically very tight-lipped about what transpired. It was unusual for him to be that direct about benching a player, which shows just how serious it was to him. Okorafor wasn't the best offensive lineman in the league, but he was a reliable presence. 

After Okorafor was benched, Tomlin chose to start the then-rookie Broderick Jones, much to fans' delight. Jones was the Steelers' first-round pick in 2023 out of the University of Georgia. Okorafor did play some after being benched, but did not resume his prior starting role, which stayed with Jones. It is unclear how much of Okorafor not returning to the starting lineup had to do with Jones' growth and performance vs. how much had to do with how Tomlin felt about whatever it was that Okorafor did. 

Okorafor's release likely had more to do with money and the organization getting in compliance by the start of the new league year in March. He was entering the final year of his three-year $29.25 million contract. The team will now save $4.75 in his annual salary in 2024 and another $4 million which is a roster bonus. 

The Steelers Did Some Cap Space Clean Up Work

As mentioned, Okorafor was not the only player that was released recently. The likely reasons for the release with Harvin and Trubisky were not just because of the cap. 

Harvin has struggled to put forth consistent performances from week to week. He finished his third season in Pittsburgh tied for number 29 in the league for net punting with a 39.2 yard average. 

Trubisky spent two seasons in Pittsburgh, being signed as the veteran presence, after the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger. He came on board in 2022 on a one-year contract, but the organization signed him to an extension last season. Releasing Trubisky saves $9.25 million in salary and $1 million in roster bonuses for next season. It also frees up about $3 million in cap space, although it will still have a $4.6 million dead money hit.

Originally the plan was to allow Trubisky to be under center while then-rookie Kenny Pickett learned the ropes. Unfortunately, he was not successful. He was 2-5 as a starter and was benched during 2023 after two losses in a row in favor of longtime backup Mason Rudolph.