The Pittsburgh Steelers have never been a team that\u2019s taken an active role in free agency. They\u2019ve usually opted to plug holes rather than sign star-level talent, but that doesn\u2019t mean the franchise can\u2019t find big contributors in free agency every now and then.<\/p>\n
The Steelers have found plenty of talent in free agency since 2000, and we\u2019ll take a look at some of the team\u2019s best signings since then. This isn\u2019t going to be a pure ranking, but rather a look at the top five players the team has signed, with undrafted free agents excluded from the list.<\/p>\n
JAMES FARRIOR<\/p>\n
This might be the most obvious name on the list. The Steelers signed James Farrior to a three-year contract with a base value of $5.4 million and a $1.7 million signing bonus in 2002. Farrior was a former top-10 pick by the New York Jets, but after signing with the Steelers, he would spend the rest of his career in Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n
In 10 seasons with the Steelers, Farrior would be named an All-Pro twice and was the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up in 2004. He totaled 1,085 total tackles, 30 sacks and eight interceptions during his time with the Steelers. He was a key part of the team\u2019s historic 2008 defense and won two Super Bowls during his time in the Black and Gold.<\/p>\n
JEFF HARTINGS<\/p>\n
The Steelers signed Hartings ahead of the 2001 season after he spent five seasons with the Detroit Lions, and like Farrior, he would go on to spend the rest of his career with the Steelers. Hartings was also a two-time All-Pro during his time with the Steelers and he was an anchor in the middle, paving the way for a successful rushing attack featuring the likes of Jerome Bettis and Willie Parker.<\/p>\n
Hartings played 14 or more games in five of his six seasons with the Steelers and all 16 four times. He was durable, reliable and exactly what the Steelers needed out of the center position. He played 90 games in six seasons with the Steelers and won a Super Bowl while continuing the team\u2019s strong legacy at the center position.<\/p>\n
CHRIS BOSWELL<\/p>\n
While Boswell wasn\u2019t a traditional offseason free agent signing, he\u2019s one of the most deserving players on this list. Signed by the Steelers during the 2015 season, he\u2019s since become one of the best kickers in the NFL and one of the best in Steelers\u2019 history. A two-time Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro in 2024, Boswell has taken his game to new heights in recent seasons.<\/p>\n
Boswell has been single-handedly responsible for multiple wins, including scoring every point in the team\u2019s most recent playoff win. It was a signing that didn\u2019t raise any eyebrows at the time, but Boswell\u2019s signing has turned out to be one of the most impactful of the last 15 or so years.<\/p>\n
RYAN CLARK<\/p>\n
Clark became Troy Polamalu\u2019s longtime partner at safety after the Steelers signed him to replace Chris Hope following the 2005 season. He made one Pro Bowl during his eight seasons in Pittsburgh, intercepted 12 passes and made 667 tackles. He was a great complement to Polamalu at safety and was a steady and reliable member of the Steelers\u2019 defense.<\/p>\n
Anytime a team can get eight years as a starter from a free agent signing, it\u2019s a good move. Clark won a Super Bowl during his time in Pittsburgh and Kevin Colbert deserves credit for bringing him in as a starter.<\/p>\n
KIMO VON OELHOFFEN<\/p>\n
Signed by the Steelers in February 2000, von Oelhoffen started the next six seasons for the Steelers, playing in 95 out of a possible 96 regular season games. He had the ability to play inside and defensive end, but also showed a knack for getting after the passer with 20.5 sacks during his time with the Steelers.<\/p>\n
A starter for Pittsburgh\u2019s Super Bowl XL team, von Oelhoffen wasn\u2019t flashy but was consistent and reliable. I considered other players for the fifth spot, but ultimately playing five seasons and winning a Super Bowl is more impactful than a player who came in and only contributed for one or two seasons. von Oelhoffen may not be the biggest name, but he was a big reason for some of Pittsburgh\u2019s defensive success throughout the early 2000s.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Pittsburgh Steelers have never been a team that\u2019s taken an active role in free agency. They\u2019ve usually…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":731454,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[63],"tags":[49298,314961,314962,314963,349,19441,99,3795],"class_list":["post-731453","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-chris-boswell","tag-james-farrior","tag-jeff-hartings","tag-kimo-von-oelhoffen","tag-nfl","tag-ryan-clark","tag-sports","tag-trending"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/731453","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=731453"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/731453\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/731454"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=731453"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=731453"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=731453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}