Report: Steelers interested in bringing back Lawrence Timmons

For the first time since being drafted in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft, Lawrence Timmons isn’t sure about his future with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mike Tomlin’s first draft pick as the head coach is facing free agency starting March 9th, if the team lets him hit the open market.

Timmons’ situation is a unique one. The fact he is 31 years old, and coming off a large contract after playing one of his better seasons in the last 5, the team has to prioritize at some point this offseason. And Timmons likely isn’t high on their list.

With Le’Veon Bell set to be a free agent, and players like Stephon Tuitt and Antonio Brown looking for a new contract, the salaray cap space the team has could evaporate quickly.

According to Mark Kaboly of DKPittsburghSports.com, the Steelers are interested in bringing back Timmons, per a team source.

“It might not be at the very top of their offseason priority list, but the Steelers have shown interest in bringing back veteran free-agent inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons, a source told DKPittsburghSports.com.”

Despite the source stating the team is interested in bringing Timmons back, there are a lot of factors which could impact this deal from being done. First, the length of the deal. Anything over 3-years would be too long, but Timmons might be looking for a long-term deal. Second, value. Timmons says he wants to stay, but how much will it cost Pittsburgh? With Vince Williams under contract, the team can walk away from the table if Timmons tries to run up the cost. Lastly, expectations. Timmons, although playing great in 2016, could be better suited for a part-time role where he is on and off the field during certain sub packages. This might not be something he is interested in doing.

The Steelers would be smart to try and bring back Timmons, but a lot has to happen before the man they call “Law Dog” signs on the dotted line.