A little more than a month ago, I put out a public plea for the Steelers to extend DeShon Elliott, as opposed to taking advantage of his bargain rate for an extra year. And that was met with a massive reaction ... to George Pickens being traded that same day.
Whatever. I made my point.
And infinitely more important, it came to pass just last night, Elliott agreeing to two additional seasons at $12.5 million that'll keep him here through the 2027 NFL season.
Good stuff. And richly deserved after an extraordinary -- historic, really -- season in which he closed out a league-record 108 of 111 tackle attempts, a subject I raised with the young man himself a few days ago on the South Side:
Have to say, as one might've picked up from my follow-up questioning, I wasn't wild about all that stuff related to re-prioritizing toward popping the football loose. Respectful of Elliott's wish to ascend to an even higher level, I'd be A-OK with that tackle rate from now till the end of time, with or without any sacrifice in the name of turnovers.
As it is, sure is nice to have him around a good while longer. Imagine losing him.
Next up: T.J. Watt (duh) and Calvin Austin. Always take care of the home front first.
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THE ASYLUM
Dejan Kovacevic
5:27 am - 06.17.2025DowntownDK: Loving Elliott's extension
A little more than a month ago, I put out a public plea for the Steelers to extend DeShon Elliott, as opposed to taking advantage of his bargain rate for an extra year. And that was met with a massive reaction ... to George Pickens being traded that same day.
Whatever. I made my point.
And infinitely more important, it came to pass just last night, Elliott agreeing to two additional seasons at $12.5 million that'll keep him here through the 2027 NFL season.
Good stuff. And richly deserved after an extraordinary -- historic, really -- season in which he closed out a league-record 108 of 111 tackle attempts, a subject I raised with the young man himself a few days ago on the South Side:
Have to say, as one might've picked up from my follow-up questioning, I wasn't wild about all that stuff related to re-prioritizing toward popping the football loose. Respectful of Elliott's wish to ascend to an even higher level, I'd be A-OK with that tackle rate from now till the end of time, with or without any sacrifice in the name of turnovers.
As it is, sure is nice to have him around a good while longer. Imagine losing him.
Next up: T.J. Watt (duh) and Calvin Austin. Always take care of the home front first.
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
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