Former Steelers LB Vince Williams Detailed Why He Didn't Tell Mike Tomlin He Was Retiring

The Pittsburgh Steelers, more than any other franchise, are associated with great linebackers. Chuck Noll inherited Andy Russell as the first great Steelers linebacker in the Super Bowl era and the torch has been passed down from generation to generation and continues with TJ Watt today. It hasn’t been all Hall of Famers and Pro Bowlers, but the men who occupied the position had to meet an elevated standard as a unit and for six decades they have done just that.

The Steelers' inside linebackers steadily started slipping backward when Pittsburgh traded up in 2019 to draft Devin Bush Jr as a replacement for Ryan Shazier. They paired him with a veteran thumper in Vince Williams and while he played well as a rookie it was soon apparent that Bush did not have the innate feel for the game that Shazier did. Bush hurt his knee in 2020 and Williams tore his quad muscle twice, including in the Steelers' playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Williams joined The Ramon Foster Show on the DK Pittsburgh Sports Network to discuss his career and his decision to end it when it seemed like he still had gas in the tank. The former inside linebacker left a void in the middle of the defense, and he told Ramon Foster that Mike Tomlin knew it and would have known what to say to keep him in the fold.

“I didn’t talk to anybody because I knew everyone would tell me not to,” Williams said about his decision to retire. “I knew that Mike T if I wasn’t in shape, he wouldn’t care. Come in not in shape, I don’t care we will get you in shape.”

Steelers Linebacker Vince Williams Was Disillusioned After His Friend Ryan Shazier Had To Leave The NFL Behind Due To An Injury

Williams was released in a cost-cutting move before the 2021 season and the Steelers were confident, they could resign him and save money against the salary cap. They managed to resign him but were unaware of his mindset and that he was only playing for the money at this point in his career. Williams' love of the game had dwindled since he saw his close friend Shazier lose his livelihood on a combined routine tackle against the Cincinnati Bengals.

“Mike T knows who I am, he has a personal relationship with me,” Williams added. “He knows Vince Williams is not showing up on day one not ready to work. If he is not ready right now, that’s okay because given our time and resources, he is going to get ready to work. He knows me, he knows how to push my buttons.”

Williams and Foster both explained that Tomlin is not a player’s coach because he lets people do whatever they want. He is a player's coach because he tailors his approach to individuals and finds out what motivates them and can make them better to contribute to the team’s success. The head coach and the organization had ingrained themselves into Williams, which changed his outlook when he explored free agency in 2021.

"When I took the pay cut, I had shopped around to some other teams. I didn’t like any of the landing spots, I could have got the appropriate compensation. People were like we’ll pay you, but I was like yo, I’m a Steeler we gotta win. I can’t be myself if I’m not convinced I’m playing for a Super Bowl. I knew playing in the Steelers building everybody truly wants and believes they are going to win a Super Bowl.”

Williams resigned with Pittsburgh for one season and reluctantly returned to the fold in 2021. The former linebacker talked about how another great defender ended his career in Pittsburgh and how it influenced his decision to retire and how he approached the execution of his decision.

“I was a mentee of James Harrison,” Williams concluded. “Really not knowing what my role would be, I didn’t want to be the old hating dude in the building. I just felt it, when I was in OTAs with Devin and Spillane, there was a tremendous amount of tension in that. I didn’t want to be the dude as the obstacle in the way of their personal success. 

My love of football is not going to allow me not to hold everyone accountable and not so much in a positive way when I don’t feel I’m adequately compensated. I watched those things happen and sour with James Harrison.  I thought that would never be me then I saw how easily that could be me.”

Foster jumped in to clarify what Williams meant about the legendary James Harrison and make clear that Harrison was upset for different reasons and was not viewed negatively in the locker room by anyone.

“Just to clean it up a little bit, so no one says James is sour,” Foster interjected. “You meant in the sense of knowing your value and still having the ability to play the same way as James did. That is one thing I remember about him. I can still rush, if you are not going to let me rush and play than why pay me?”

“Much like James Harrison, I was a great tool,” Williams concluded. “Utilize me in certain situations and I can still be a dominant player in that capacity. Same thing with James Harrison he could still be an awesome edge rusher, that year he won some games for us. Being in that limbo position just isn’t a comfortable position. I went back in the building, and I knew it wasn’t the same team. I was part of the old guard, and this is a good time for me to go.”

In 2017, Harrison left the Steelers to finish his career with the New England Patriots near the end of that season as he grew increasingly frustrated with his playing time. He only played one regular season game for the Patriots and he registered two sacks to prove his point. He played in all three postseason games en route to a final Super Bowl appearance against the Philadelphia Eagles but was denied a final championship ring when they fell 41-33 in the big game.

Williams had the self-awareness after seeing his mentor have to force his way out of Pittsburgh to prove he could still play and then prove that it was not his path. It might have been that he recognized that Harrison had Hall of Fame talent and he did not, but his love for the organization wouldn’t allow him to find out if he could resist the temptation to follow in his mentor’s footsteps. He purposely avoided anyone who would have talked him out of it, especially Tomlin. 

Williams retired abruptly and the Steelers suffered badly in 2021 without his presence. One of the best linebackers in the NFL against the run, his absence led to the Steelers falling to last in the NFL in 2021 in that category. The result might have been different if they had not altered his contract because Williams himself admits money was a factor in his decision, but fans will never know.

The Steelers elected to be pennywise by releasing Williams in the final year of his contract and then were pounded mercilessly without him in 2021 for being foolish. It is a lesson that Omar Khan was present for and hopefully is not going to repeat with another key defensive veteran who is looking for a third contract this offseason.