Steelers Ink Long-Term Deal with Long Snapper Christian Kuntz
The Pittsburgh Steelers are re-signing long snapper Christian Kuntz to a long term contract, despite not offering him a tender contract as a restricted free agent.
Kuntz and the Steelers have agreed to a three-year contract, Steelers Now has confirmed and as was first reported by Chris Halicke of DK Pittsburgh Sports.
The Steelers would have had to offer Kuntz at least a one-year, $2.985 million tender offer to maintain his rights as a restricted free agent. By signing him to a longer-term contract, they will be able to have him at a lower salary cap hit for 2024.
Kuntz has bene the team’s long-snapper since 2021, when carved out an NFL role for the first time, beating out Kam Canaday in a training camp battle to unseat the Steelers’ incumbent long snapper. Kuntz played in all 17 games in 2021 and made two tackles.
The Steelers have already had significant turnover among their specialists. Whoever their long snapper is will work with new punter Cameron Johnston this season. The Steelers released Pressley Harvin III in February, and signed Johnston to a three-year, $9 million deal. Kick returner Godwin Igwebuike is also a free agent.
After playing linebacker at Duquesne, Kuntz first signed with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2017, after which he first started long snapping.
Kuntz spent time with the Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars in 2018 and 2019, but did not play in a game. He was signed by the Steelers for the first time on Aug. 15, 2019 and he recorded five tackles and a sack in a preseason game against Carolina, but was among the team’s roster cuts at the end of camp. Kuntz played with the Dallas Renegades of the XFL in the spring of 2020.
After the XFL folded, Kuntz re-joined the Steelers. He was waived on Aug. 2, but the Steelers re-signed him to their practice squad on Nov. 24. He spent the rest of the season on and off the practice squad, as the Steelers attempted to keep backups for all three of their specialists within the NFL’s COVID-19 testing protocols.
Kuntz was inducted into the Duquesne Athletics Hall of Fame on Jan. 29. During is decorated tenure with the Dukes, Kuntz was a three-time All-American, a part of three NEC Conference titles, recorded 30.5 sacks (program record) and 71.5 tackles for loss (sixth NCAA FCS all-time list).
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