Sounds Like Larry Ogunjobi Wants to Stay With Steelers
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers will have a list of players they'll attempt to work with on new contracts this offseason, but there's a sense some will be willing to stick around with some ease.
While everyone is talking about Cam Sutton and Terrell Edmunds, names like Larry Ogunjobi, Robert Spillane and Damontae Kazee. And as free agency begins to approach, one player spent some time telling fans about his love for the players on the Steelers.
In an interview with Steelers.com, defensive end Larry Ogunjobi spoke very kindly about his Pittsburgh teammates.
"It's definitely a special group with Cam (Heyward), T.J. (Watt), Tyson (Alualu), (Chris) Wormley, Alex (Highsmith)," Ogunjobi said. "It's a really good group of men. When you've got Cam and Tyson, who have 25 years of NFL experience between the two of them, you have someone there who has seen it and done it for a long time at a high level. The questions you can ask them, the leadership they provide, the understanding of it and just the energy.
"Sometimes it's hard to find organic people, but those guys are truly organic and real. They want the best for everybody around them. All of the guys in the locker room are like that and when guys are like that, they play for each other. That's how you can turn around 2-6 to 9-8. It was a testament to the men in the room."
The Steelers signed Ogunjobi to a one-year deal after he failed his physical with the Chicago Bears and re-entered the free agency market. After playing for his third AFC North team, he realized quickly what makes Pittsburgh so special, and what makes head coach Mike Tomlin such a great leader as well.
"It's his level of detail and understanding, his leadership," Ogunjobi said. "He played a pivotal role not only in my own personal development, but the development of the entire team, along with the coaches, support staff and ownership. It's a first-class organization that's been run the right way for a really long time.
"When we started off 2-6, Coach T said something in the meetings that he is not going to be a moving target. Any time you want to be great at anything, consistency is the key. He was always consistent, always coming into the morning meetings with the energy, sending a message that we're still in this thing regardless of where we are right now. He always said we're not going to blink. He told us to smile in the face of adversity. Stand tall, find a way to get it done because the only people that can fix it was us. And that was one of the important messages. That is just the type of person he has been for everybody to just watch and emulate."
While Ogunjobi didn't come out and say he wants to stay in Pittsburgh, it's hard to deny his strong feelings about the organization. And with the Steelers not having a backup plan and likely not looking to lose their starting defensive end, it's hard to imagine the two sides are very far from an agreement on a new contract - once they sit down to negotiate one.
At 28 years old, Ogunjobi has some playing years left in him, and for the Steelers, they'll be looking for consistency along the defensive line.
Many fans are hoping Ogunjobi returns to the black and gold in 2023, and from the sound of it, that's likely to happen barring an unexpected turn of events.
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