After being selected 10th overall in the 1987 NFL Draft, CB Rod Woodson went on to a Hall of Fame career, spending his first 10 years with the Pittsburgh Steelers and making five All-Pro teams. If it was up to Woodson, his entire career would’ve been spent in Pittsburgh, he said on [In The Front Row With Mike Vaccaro](https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=akT_ZGevJ18). But he wasn’t happy with how the team treated him during free agency after the 1996 season.
“My plan was to stay in Pittsburgh forever. I remember going through the process of having a new contract, they wanted to give me a three-year deal. I asked them to push it to five years. It’s not guaranteed anyway, it helps you guys anyway in the long run since it keeps my cap number down. And the only reason I left the Steelers was because on draft day of that year, of free agency, they called me on that draft. And they were like ‘Are you gonna take our deal?’ And I’m like, ‘Wow. I spent 10 years with you guys. I busted my hump for you guys. I’ll do anything that I can for you guys. And you give me a 45-second window?’ I hung up.”
Woodson said that he was still bitter toward Pittsburgh until he signed with the Ravens and reunited with Marvin Lewis, who was a linebackers coach during his time with the Steelers and in 1998 was Baltimore’s defensive coordinator. Lewis told him to move on and that both sides did what they had to do, and Woodson was able to let go of his bitterness toward the team.
While Woodson put together a Pro Bowl campaign in 1996, his last year with the Steelers, he [tore his ACL in the ’95 season opener](https://steelersdepot.com/2024/01/i-can-make-it-back-rod-woodson-respects-bill-cowher-for-leaving-roster-spot-open-after-acl-tear/) and the Steelers likely didn’t want to give him a long-term deal as he was aging and had the knee injury. Of course, Woodson managed to stay productive, making four more Pro Bowls and two more All-Pro teams after moving full-time to free safety, and the Steelers now probably wish they had signed Woodson to a five-year deal.
But it was a decision the team wasn’t comfortable with at the time, and it replaced Woodson by drafting Chad Scott in the first round of the 1997 draft. Had Woodson committed to return to the Steelers, they may not have taken Scott, hence why they called him and asked if he was going to re-up with the Steelers. After feeling spurned by Pittsburgh, Woodson spent one year with the San Francisco 49ers and four with the Ravens before spending his final two years as a member of the Oakland Raiders.
Rod Woodson is still one of the best defensive players in Steelers history, but he would’ve added to his accolades in Pittsburgh had the team been willing to re-sign him. It would’ve been a great story had Woodson finished his career with Pittsburgh, but leaving the team helped him earn a Super Bowl ring as a member of the Ravens in 2000. Maybe he could’ve gotten that ring in Pittsburgh, but the team’s refusal to give him a longer-term contract ended his historic tenure with the Steelers.