Status of Steelers DE Stephon Tuitt Still Unsure for Next Season

Steelers president Art Rooney II was unable to give a clear answer on the status of whether or not defensive end Stephon Tuitt will return next season, hoping for a more definite answer in the weeks to come.

Tuitt missed all of the 2021 season as he dealt with a knee injury sustained in training camp. Tuitt missed most of the team’s offseason program as well while dealing with the tragic death of his younger brother, who was killed in a hit-and-run vehicle-pedestrian accident in Georgia.

“I wish I had an answer for you there,” Rooney said. “All I can say is that we’ll be evaluating that situation and having a discussion with Stephon here in the next few weeks and hopefully be able to say something more definitively in the near future.” 

Former Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler said on Monday that he is unsure if veteran defensive end Stephon Tuitt will return to the Steelers in 2022, suggesting that whatever held him out of the 2021 season went beyond his reported knee injury.

Tuitt’s Pine Township home is under contract to be sold, according to real estate and property records obtained by Steelers Now. The home was listed for sale on Jan. 16 and placed under contract on Jan. 22.

Tuitt selling his Pittsburgh-area home obviously does not preclude his return to the team, but it is another strange step in what has become a mysterious sequence of events. Tuitt has not spoken publicly or with the media for over a year.

Tuitt’s contract is slated to run through the end of the 2022 season. He will make $9.05 million in 2022 and the Steelers are still paying down $9.68 million in deferred salary bonus against the salary cap. Tuitt restructured the contract with the Steelers last year to help save the team money against the 2021 salary cap.