Former Kansas City Chiefs defender and two-time Super Bowl champ Juan Thornhill has hit another roadblock in his career. The Pittsburgh Steelers released the safety with head coach Mike Tomlin not sparing his feelings on the defender's way out.
"The play wasn't up to snuff. And Castro was available to us....it was more about Castro and less about Juan," [Tomlin said, via Nick Farabaugh of Penn Live.](https://x.com/FarabaughFB/status/1988297229648749035?s=20)
This is a rather damaging sentiment to offer about a player whom the team has already moved on from. It is also the second instance in Thornhill's career where bridges were burned during an exit. The Cleveland Browns and Thornhill had a rocky relationship that ended with the safety being benched and quickly [bashing the franchise on his way out.](https://heavy.com/sports/nfl/cleveland-browns/juan-thornhill-more-shade-deparature-steelers/)
> "“Because if you sit back and you watch the film of what I did in Cleveland, I had a lot of good plays. Some of the Cleveland people just tried to bash my name a little bit. If you sit there and really watch the film, I made a lot of plays and was very productive in that defense.”"
>
> Juan Thornhill
With this context, it is interesting that Tomlin opted to go out of his way to throw the former Chief under the bus. There was no need for Tomlin to make as aggressive a comment as the coach made, even if it were true. Thornhill was far from the only problem in Pittsburgh's secondary; opting to push the player out in this manner suggests some level of ill will between the two sides. This makes it the second straight team that has jettisoned the defender in frustration.
Former Chiefs Safety Juan Thornhill Continues to Burn Bridges Since Leaving Kansas City
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For the Chiefs, it is an interesting situation that could open the door to a potential reunion. Kansas City would be wise to bring in the championship experience, even if it were in a reserve role. Thornhill is in no position to be picky and would likely welcome the opportunity.
Part of any potential pursuit that would work in the Chiefs' favor and shouldn't be forgotten is the fact that Thornhill now needs to rebuild his image after two ugly exits. The situation with the Browns could be written off due to the franchise being poorly run and often residing in the league's cellar. However, it is far more difficult to explain why the opportunity in Pittsburgh didn't work and ended so poorly.
Thornhill becoming a free agent at this time of the year severely limits his chance of finding a new landing spot as well, based on the nature of the exit. Making Kansas City at least a possible landing spot if GM Brett Veach wants to bring back the experience of Thornhill and add depth.
Regardless, it is a concerning career path for a once respected and still accomplished defender. Thornhill's next landing spot had better work and end positively, or we've likely seen the end of a safety who was once thought of as a sought-after commodity.
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