Talks between the Pittsburgh Steelers and outside linebacker Jason Worilds on a potential long-term contract have been unproductive, according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Worilds is under contract for 2014 and is set to make a healthy sum of $9.754 million after being designated Pittsburgh's transition player this offseason.
Jason Worilds, Steelers have had ‘no productive talks’ for potential long-term contract
It’s looking more and more likely that Jason Worilds will play out the 2014 season on his transition tag.
Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
Worilds has had an interesting career to this point. He's been in the league for four seasons now, but hasn't really been productive save for half a season. It just so happens that the half a season he was productive was the latter half of last year, and with the Steelers making recent decisions to move on from veterans like James Harrison and, more recently, LaMarr Woodley, pass-rushing talent took on a premium in Pittsburgh.
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Worilds managed 10 sacks in his first three seasons, but put up eight sacks in 2013, seven of which came in the final eight games of the season. While it’s clear the Steelers have some amount of confidence in Worilds, it’s not enough for the team to outright give him a huge multi-year contract. At this point, it seems likely that Worilds is also not looking to sign a middling multi-year deal, and instead wants to try and hit free agency after a strong season (the nearly $10 million in salary for 2014 certainly helps this line of thought).
The folks over at Behind The Steel Curtain are conflicted on Worilds. They note that the Steelers probably “feel he in their long-term plans,” but note that Worilds has not done enough to inspire a lot of confidence in his abilities for a multi-year deal. Worilds struggled against top offensive line competition. “So on the surface, $9.75 million is probably too much for what he’s showed so far, but there isn’t a lower price to keep him for a season to prove last season wasn’t a fluke,” Neal Coolong writes.
As noted by Bouchette, the Steelers are expecting big thing out of their linebackers going forward. Ryan Shazier is hoping to earn a starting role on the inside, and Jarvis Jones, a first-round pick in 2013, is hoping to take a step forward at the other outside linebacker spot opposite Worilds.
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