Tyson Alualu hopes to return to the Pittsburgh Steelers
As the Pittsburgh Steelers kick off mandatory minicamp this week, defensive tackle Tyson Alualu won’t be on the field. Alualu’s contract ran out in March and he is still on the free agency market after playing in all 17 games for Pittsburgh last season.
The former first-round draft pick out of Cal told the hosts of The Sick Podcast that he’s staying in shape and hoping to land back with the Steelers for 2023.
“I’m preparing like I will play this season,” Alualu said, via SI.com. “I can’t tell where it’s gonna be. But in a perfect world, I would love to be back with the Steelers and finish here. But I’ve been training and it felt normal.”
Alualu played every game last year, but only played roughly 27 percent of the team’s defensive snaps. He racked up 13 tackles with a half-sack and 1.5 tackles for loss.
He signed on for another stint with Pittsburgh in 2021 on a two-year deal worth $5.5 million. He previously signed two-year deals in 2017 and 2019.
The Jacksonville Jaguars selected Alualu with the No. 10 overall selection in the 2010 NFL Draft. He played seven seasons with the Jaguars before going to the Steelers in free agency. Alualu has 25 career sacks to his name, as well as 30.5 tackles for loss. Over 13 seasons in the league, he’s made roughly $39.8 million in salary money, while playing for just two teams.
The Steelers recently saw a different former defensive lineman find a new home. Carlos Davis signed with the Atlanta Falcons over the weekend. The former seventh-round draft pick tallied 12 tackles, three tackles for a loss, one sack and one quarterback hit over three seasons.
More on the 2023 NFL offseason, free agency
The NFL 2023 calendar year began at 4 p.m. ET on March 15. At that time, contracts running through 2022 officially ran out, making those players free agents.
Prior to the beginning of free agency, teams had a chance to designate one franchise or transition tag player, starting on Feb. 21 at 4 p.m. ET and ending on March 7.
The legal negotiation period spanned from March 13 through March 15. The new year marked the beginning of all trades going official per the league office. April 21 marked the deadline to sign restricted free agents to offer sheets. On April 26, the deadline for teams to match restricted free agent offers sheets hit.