Pittsburgh Steelers: Business as Usual

The NFL is a business. It remains one of the healthiest corporate entities with revenues continuing to grow despite the poor economy.  

One of the most pressing issues facing NFL teams today is how to ensure players are fully engaged and aligned with the organization’s critical business priorities in getting them to a successful season and ultimately a championship.

Player retention, especially of the best and most desirable, is a key challenge in any NFL team today.

At the beginning of free agency in the 1990s, teams sometimes looked past their own players at the chance to land a player from another team. But that wasn't always successful.

You had to assimilate players into what you wanted them to do for your team.

Retaining quality experienced players or drafting new recruits becomes an increasingly critical issue and if not managed properly, it could erode success and performance of any team.

The Steelers have rarely been major players during free agency.

The Steelers did not sign one player from another team thus far this year. They chose to keep the players they wanted that were on their roster the previous year. 

They found that keeping their own now is much more important than bringing in somebody else's castoffs.

If the Steelers do make any free-agent signings, it won’t happen until after the NFL Draft at the end of April, if at all.

The Steelers’ approach to free agency is methodical, patient, and unpredictable. Although the Steelers lost WR Nate Washington and CB Bryant McFadden to free agency, the Steelers did what they needed to do to maintain continuity and consistency by retaining most of the existing players on their current roster.  

Because of free agency and salary caps, it is difficult to keep top quality players and yet it's been a productive off-season for the Steelers office keeping current players.

This is how they won two Super Bowls in four years, and is considered one of the top contenders for the 2009-2010 seasons.

Losing Washington to the Titans, the Steelers have in line Limas Sweed and Martin Nance, second-year players ready to step in and play. Cornerback William Gay, a fifth-round draft pick in 2007 who started four games last season, is expected to get the first crack at McFadden’s old job.

The Steelers reinforced the offensive line by re-signing tackles Max Starks, Willie Colon and guard Chris Kemoeatu

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