Earlier this week, the Pittsburgh Steelers made a shocking announcement as the team released veteran offensive lineman David DeCastro.
The longtime Steelers offensive guard dealt with a series of ankle injuries over the past few seasons. In fact, after his release, DeCastro said he likely needs another ankle surgery to remove bone spurs.
With that in mind, the Steelers opted to release DeCastro rather than hope that he recovers from another ankle injury before the 2021 season kicks off. Pittsburgh released the two-time All-Pro with a non-football injury designation that helped save the team around $8 million.
Speaking to reporters on Friday afternoon, it sounds like he’s not very happy with how the Steelers went about his release. By releasing him with a non-football injury designation, DeCastro won’t earn most of his remaining contract.
“The owners are billionaires for a reason,” he said after being released.
When @937theFan Steelers reporter @JColony13 asked David DeCastro about the “non-football injury” release designation DeCastro said: “The owners are billionaires for a reason.”
!!!
— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) June 25, 2021
Every team in the league is trying to manage its salary cap and the Steelers are no different. The team saw a move that could save it some money and opted to go that route.
Not long after releasing DeCastro, the Steelers signed five-time Pro Bowl guard Trai Turner. He’s one of four new starters on Pittsburgh’s offensive line in 2021.
Pittsburgh had one of the worst offensive lines in the league during the 2020 season. We’ll have to wait and see if they take a step forward next season.
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