Steelers Dodge a Bullet: 2024 Free Agent Target Retires
Veteran center Mitch Morse announced his retirement just one season after the Pittsburgh Steelers tried to sign him.
The Pittsburgh Steelers seem to have dodged a bullet. On Thursday, veteran center Mitch Morse announced his retirement from the NFL less than a year after the Steelers tried to bring him to Pittsburgh.
“The things I’ll remember and cherish most about my career are the relationships and bonds I created with my teammates on and off of the field,” Morse said in a statement. “I look forward to spending more time with (my family) as I navigate retirement.”
The Steelers hosted Morse on a free-agent visit last offseason, but he left without a deal and eventually signed a two-year, $10.5 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
It was a head-scratching move by the Steelers at the time since they had a massive hole at center. Practice squad player Ryan McCollum was the only natural center on the roster while general manager Omar Khan shared his faith in guard Nate Herbig to play center.
“We have position-flexible guys that are starters in the league as it is, but we’re always going to try to improve the team,” Khan said. “We cut our starting center from last year. We feel good about Nate Herbig. But if there’s an opportunity to bring in some good competition, we’re going to do it.”
The Steelers ultimately drafted center Zach Frazier in the second round (No. 51 overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft and haven’t looked back after a very promising rookie season.
It was a risky choice by Pittsburgh, but it is one that looks like will pay off as Frazier has the makings to be the team’s center for the next decade.
As for the Jaguars, they are now left with a hole at center — a position the Steelers could have found themselves in if they had never let Morse leave Pittsburgh.
Before Morse joined the Jaguars in 2024, he played five seasons with the Buffalo Bills and four seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. Morse was drafted in the second round (No. 49 overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft and made one Pro Bowl (2022) in his career.