Bud Dupree chases Lamar Jackson.
In just a matter of days, Bud Dupree went from being heavily in the mix to re-sign with his former Pittsburgh Steelers team to signing a one-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons.
On April 14, shortly after the deal was announced, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tweeted that the Steelers prefer two-year deals and he only wanted a one-year.
The Steelers were heavily in the mix on a Bud Dupree deal but Dupree preferred a one-year deal. Steelers prefer two-year deals on contracts of substance. So, Dupree is off to Atlanta, as @ZachKleinWSB said.
His friend and former teammate Ramon Foster, host of the Ramon Foster Show, has offered up insider tidbits along Dupree’s journey, and seemed surprised by the news given at one point it seemed like Dupree to Pittsburgh was all but a done deal. “I hit him up with the side eye,” he said.
Foster asked what broke down between them, confirming Fowler’s tweet as to why he and the Steelers went their separate ways. Dupree shared that he spoke with Mike Tomlin, general manager Omar Khan and Art Rooney II who weren’t budging on contract length. But what he was seeking was a prove-it deal in hopes to do just that, setting himself up for something more lucrative.
It wasn’t an easy decision to move on. Dupree said via Foster: “The hardest negotiating I’ve ever had to do was tell Pittsburgh no… I know what Pittsburgh is, I know they want me there, I know what I am getting myself into. This is the hardest decision I’ve had to make and to tell them no. I wanted to be able to just do a one-year deal and Pittsburgh wanted two. I want to have a good year and hit the market again.”
Bud Dupree is Healthy and Ready to Go — Just Not for the Steelers
DK Pittsburgh Sports’ Dejan Kovacevic, who hosts the show with Foster, brought up a good point. The big question this offseason was whether Bud Dupree was healthy and Kovacevic said this proves he is. “He obviously got a clean bill of health otherwise nobody’s handing him five dollars much less five million dollars exactly. I also see something where the Steelers also had the same mindset they felt he was healthy and ready to go otherwise they wouldn’t offer two years instead of one.”
Dupree, 30, is ranked as the sixth-best edge rusher on the market, according to NFLTR. His production has declined since he left the Steelers, mainly due to an inability to stay healthy. Knee, abdominal and hip injuries caused him to miss a dozen games over his two-year Titans career, six each season. In that span, he logged 35 total tackles, 7.0 sacks, 17 quarterback hits, a pass defensed, two forced fumbles and a pair of fumble recoveries.
We’ll see what Dupree can do in a Falcons uni. The Steelers play the Dirty Birds in 2024, so if all goes well and he earns a multi-year contract in Atlanta, they’ll see each other again.
What No Bud Dupree Could Mean for Alex Highsmith
Ramon Foster believes Bud Dupree’s decision works out in Alex Highsmith‘s favor, who’s heading into the final year of his rookie deal. “Bud was of the mindset that he was a security blanket for Alex, too, meaning that as players they can negotiate against you as one to another. Bud is older, Bud becomes more productive, guess what Alex we don’t have to sign you, we got Bud.”
The Steelers generally negotiate with players in the offseason before their contract expires. If Highsmith is in their future plans, expect an announcement anywhere between now and September.
No Dupree could also indicate that the Steelers intend to take an OLB3 in the draft. They’d be silly not to after what’s happened with injuries to Watt and Highsmith over the past two seasons. Certainly, if they take an edge early, the writing will be on the wall for Highsmith.