Lineman who contributed to Chiefs’ Super Bowl championship run leaves for Pittsburgh
An offensive lineman who contributed to the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl run, guard Stefen Wisniewski, has agreed to terms on a two-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers, a source confirmed to The Star.
Wisniewski took to social media Thursday evening and enthusiastically announced in a tweet: “Guess what Steelers fans.. I’m coming Home!!!!! And I’m coming to win!!!!”
The Chiefs signed Wisniewski in October and inserted him into the starting lineup in late December. The team’s running game flourished as running back Damien Williams combined with Wisniewski’s physical play at the point of attack.
Wisniewski, a player Chiefs coach Andy Reid affectionately referred to as “dirty tough,” who his second championship in three seasons.
He becomes the third Chiefs free agent to sign with another team, joining cornerback Kendall Fuller, who signed with Washington, and defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah, who joined the Miami Dolphins.
Free agency started off with a bang Wednesday as teams made high-profile signings and executed trades.
While many clubs spent freely on the open market, the Chiefs largely stood on the sidelines. But they were able to take care of some in-house business before the official start of free agency, designating defensive tackle Chris Jones as a non-exclusive franchise player; exercising club options on running back Williams and linebacker Damien Wilson; and tendering qualifying offers to exclusive rights free agents Andrew Wylie and Deon Yelder.
The team also agreed to terms on a two-year deal with backup quarterback Chad Henne.
But spending power — or a lack thereof — likely contributed to their inactivity on the open market. The Chiefs converted $5 million of defensive Frank Clark’s base salary to a signing bonus in a move to get below the salary cap before the start of the league’s new calendar year.
General manager Brett Veach must get creative if he hopes to make any signings. According to Spotrac.com, the Chiefs currently sit on $3.4 million in available salary cap space, the fifth-lowest amount in the league.
Whether they have enough ammunition to engage in signings, including bringing back some of the players from their 2019 championship roster, remains to be seen.
