Steelers pulled new signing out of retirement with well-timed phone call

Well done by Pittsburgh.

Steelers pulled new signing out of retirement with well-timed phone call originally appeared on The Sporting News

The Pittsburgh Steelers' newest signing was on the verge of retirement.

Instead, though, it turns out the Steelers picked up the phone at the perfect time.

The new guy is veteran defensive tackle Breiden Fehoko. He spoke with the media after arriving at camp and shared the story.

"I was enjoying being a dad," Fehoko said. "I was enjoying being home, considering retiring because at this point in my career, I feel like I’ve done it all. But as I was fielding calls more throughout the summer and more towards the fall when late July started to roll around, kind of got this new sense of motivation after the first team called and the second team called and finally Pittsburgh called. I was like, ‘You know what? Like, maybe I’ll go give it another run, see how it goes and turns out for me.’ So, it’s great. When a team like Pittsburgh calls, especially with what they’ve done this year, I mean, there’s no choice, especially being here. It helps a lot."

The irony here is that Fehoko has been with the Steelers the last two seasons. He just hasn't gotten into a regular season game.

He signed originally in April 2023 but was cut in August. He spent time between the practice squad and active roster but never played.

He re-signed in March 2024, then went on the reserve/injured list in August, then went on the practice squad for the rest of the season in October.

Fehoko's NFL playing time has come with the Chargers, where he had 36 tackles over 19 games between 2020-2022.

He was a national champion in college at LSU and was undrafted.

Now, he'll try to see if he can finally break through with the Steelers.

Category: Football