From Aaron Rodgers to Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith, the Steelers’ eventful 2025 offseason almost had another All-Pro signing — 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who visited with Pittsburgh in March but walked away without a deal.
In a recent one-on-one interview with The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, Juszczyk shared his feelings on the Steelers visit — and ultimately why he opted to return to San Francisco (via PennLive’s Nick Farabaugh):
“It was a different experience,” Juszczyk said. “It was a chance to go look at a different team and I felt a lot of love from them. I got excited for a second about what possibly could be, about new beginnings and fitting into a new offense, all that type of stuff. And I genuinely enjoyed my time with Arthur Smith and Mike Tomlin so much. I have so much respect for those guys. But at the end of the day, it just wasn’t enough to trump what I had in San Francisco. I just couldn’t pull the plug.”
San Francisco released Juszczyk this past March, but the All-Pro fullback returned to the 49ers on a cheaper deal a few weeks later.
Juszczyk would’ve played a pivotal role in Pittsburgh’s run-heavy offense, strengthening an already stacked Steelers roster in 2025. The Steelers will instead lean on the winner of the underrated FB positional battle — between the versatile Connor Heyward and rookie DJ Thomas-Jones.
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