Steelers offensive lineman regrets re-signing with team

The Steelers' 2023 season didn't go how most of their players likely imagined, or at least hoped. But that can especially be said for one of Pittsburgh's veterans who didn't see the field for half of the season.

Chukwuma Okorafor began the year as the team's starting right tackle, a position he held since 2020. His job felt safe even after the Steelers used their 2023 first-round pick on Broderick Jones, whose primary position is left tackle. But that's not how things played out.

Pittsburgh's 2018 third-round pick was benched in Week 8 for reportedly "acting out." Head coach Mike Tomlin never elaborated on Okorafor's benching but said his actions were a "significant reason."

For the rest of the season, Jones took over for Okorafor at right tackle even though he was making significantly less.

Okorafor signed a three-year, $29.25 million contract with the Steelers in 2022, a decision he has come to regret.

"If I knew that was going to be the case, I probably wouldn't have chose to come back here," Okorafor said. "But at that point, there wasn't anything I could do about it."