The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens have one of the NFL’s fiercest rivalries. Despite that, many players have suited up for both teams. However, few players have been traded from one of those division rivals to the other. Defensive lineman Chris Wormley is one example, though. Originally a 2017 third-round pick by the Ravens, he was traded to the Steelers in 2020. Wormley took that personally, and he’s still happy he was able to get revenge on Baltimore.
“When I got traded from Baltimore to Pittsburgh, it was almost like a slap in the face,” Wormley said on Kristi K. IS After Hours’ YouTube channel. “I felt like I wasn’t good enough to play for Baltimore, they didn’t want me… I got to play Baltimore when I was in Pittsburgh. I got to play them twice a year.
“The best game of my career came against Baltimore when I was playing in Pittsburgh. I had 2.5 sacks against Lamar Jackson… I’ll call it a revenge game. It was like, ‘This is what you missed out on by trading me away to your biggest rival.’ That felt good. I would put that game on a highlight reel for sure.”
That was only the second trade between the Ravens and Steelers, so it makes sense that Wormley felt disrespected by it. The revenge game he’s referring to came in Week 13 of the 2021 season. It was a close game, with the Steelers winning 20-19. They could’ve easily lost had Wormley had a quieter performance.
Also, not only was that Wormley’s best professional game, but it was also arguably his best NFL season. He finished 2021 with seven sacks, three pass defenses, a forced fumble, and six tackles for loss in 15 games.
Wormley served admirably in place of Stephon Tuitt, who didn’t play at all in 2021 before retiring in the following offseason. Unfortunately, his 2022 wasn’t as good, punctuated by a torn ACL late in the year.
He became a free agent after that, and he’s bounced around between a few different teams since then. That includes rejoining the Ravens in 2024. That made it seem like the two sides had put the bad blood behind them. Still, Wormley only appeared in two games with the Ravens that year, and they opted not to bring him back after that.
Wormley spent the 2025 season with the Indianapolis Colts, but he only played in five games. While his NFL career might be winding down, Wormley will always have that 2021 season. He showed the Ravens that they were wrong to send him to their biggest rival.
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