Steelers reportedly bringing back Ahkello Witherspoon on a 2-year deal

The Pittsburgh Steelers have created roughly $12 million dollars in salary cap space in the last 24 hours with the termination of both Zach Banner and Joe Schobert’s contracts. Fans of the black and gold knew there was more work to be done to bolster the lineup.

Of the positions which still needed to be addressed, cornerback was certainly one of the big three, the others being safety and wide receiver. Already having acquired Levi Wallace, formerly of the Buffalo Bills, earlier in the week, the Steelers are reportedly keeping one of their own.

According to Josina Anderson, formerly of ESPN, the Steelers and Ahkello Witherspoon have agreed to a two-year contract.

Witherspoon was acquired by trade with the Seattle Seahawks in 2021 for a sixth-round draft pick next year. Playing four years in San Francisco after being a third-round draft pick in 2017, Witherspoon started in 33 games where he had four interceptions and 24 passes defensed.

Signing with the Seattle Seahawks last offseason, things weren’t working out with Witherspoon which put him on the market for the Steelers. With a very rough start to his time in Pittsburgh, Witherspoon only saw four snaps in Week 2 for the Steelers, one of which he gave up a 61-yard touchdown. Inactive for the next seven games, Witherspoon came on with the Steelers in Week 11 after the injury to Joe Haden and broke into the starting lineup in Week 13. Leading the Steelers defense with three interceptions on the year, Witherspoon also got the start in the Steelers Wild Card matchup vs. the Kansas City Chiefs.

The return of Witherspoon is good news for keeping a sense of continuity in the back end of the secondary, and you have to believe the Steelers will continue to keep their options open throughout the rest of free agency, and the 2022 NFL Draft to continue to add to their cupboard of defensive backs.

UPDATE

According to Jordan Shultz, the deal for Witherspoon is two-years and $8 million dollars.

Be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they continue to improve their roster through free agency, and prepare for the 2022 NFL Draft.