After three years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Isaac Seumalo is headed West. Officially inking a three-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals on Wednesday, Seumalo spoke with reporters about why he changed franchises.
“I’ll be honest with you, money’s good. Can’t complain,” Seumalo said via the Cardinals’ Twitter/X account. “I’m not gonna pretend that’s not a part of it.”
One of the best available guards in free agency, Seumalo inked a three-year, $31.5 million deal with the Cardinals. It’s a raise over the contract he received in Pittsburgh three years ago, one worth $8 million per season, and a big payday for what’s likely the last long-term contract Seumalo will sign in his career. Seumalo offered an honest answer and reality that money plays a leading role in where players end up.
For Seumalo, Arizona is fate.
“I bought a house out here last year in Gilbert,” he said. “And then got out here about a month-and-a-half ago. Now, I’m here all year round. I’m super happy.”
Born in Hawaii, Seumalo played his college ball at Oregon State. Until now, his NFL career has been in the Keystone State. Landing in Arizona feels like home. Seumalo noted his father, Joe, coached at the University of Arizona for the 2024 season. He now serves as the d-tackles coach at Oregon State.
Winning a Super Bowl in Philadelphia and consistently playoff competitive with Pittsburgh, Seumalo’s aim will be to keep that success going in Arizona. It won’t be easy. The Cardinals haven’t had a winning record since 2021 and haven’t won a playoff game since 2015, a victory over Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.
With a new head coach, Seumalo is embracing a fresh start all the way around.
“The biggest part is I want to win. I want to win with a team that wants me here. And I see that with Coach LaFleur. I see that with the group that we have, the group that we’re building.”
His comment might sound like a dig at Pittsburgh, but in the way he spoke it, it seemed genuine. Seumalo had multiple suitors and chose the team he connected with best.
During the presser, Seumalo only briefly mentioned his previous stops. He shouted out former Philadelphia Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland for developing him and offered praise for Pittsburgh’s coaching staff.
“Pittsburgh gave me a whole different perspective. Coach Pat Meyer, another great coach. And kind of being an older guy there, learning that dynamic,” Seumalo said of his time with the Steelers.
Meyer was one of several Steelers’ coaches to depart under Pittsburgh’s new staff, taking a job as the Buffalo Bills’ head offensive line coach.
An elder statesman at 32 for a young roster, Seumalo will be asked to do similar to his mission in Pittsburgh: be a leader. For Seumalo, that comes quietly, his press conference today was the most he’s publicly talked in ages, but when he spoke in the locker room, teammates listened. Assuming he remains at left guard, Seumalo will work next to former first-round pick and 24-year-old left tackle, Paris Johnson.
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