Former Steelers first-round pick posts goodbye to Pittsburgh

Former Steelers first-round pick Terrell Edmunds posted an emotional farewell message to the city of Pittsburgh after leaving for free agency.

Last week, the 2023 year officially began in the NFL, which allowed free agent deals to go through. With all 32 teams looking to improve their rosters to bring in talent to help them win the Super Bowl, there is going to be turnover. For some who happened to be draft picks with their respective teams, they were moving on.

Safety Terrell Edmunds was a first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers back in 2018, and he officially hit the open market. On March 23, Edmunds officially bid farewell to the city of Pittsburgh in a tweet, where he thanked his coaches, teammates, and the fans.

On Friday, one day after posting this message, Edmunds agreed to terms with the Philadelphia Eagles on a one-year contract.

Terrell Edmunds bids farewell to Steelers, signs with Eagles

Edmunds, a defensive back out of Virginia Tech, was a consistent piece to Pittsburgh’s secondary since entering the league. For his first four years of his career, Edmunds recorded 340 combined tackles, 21 defended passes, and five interceptions. Even though the Steelers declined his fifth-year option, they brought him back on a one-year, $2.54 million contract for the 2022 season.

In 15 games, all of which were starts, Edmunds recorded 70 combined tackles (41 solo, 29 assisted), five passes defended, and two sacks. In pass coverage, Edmunds allowed 20 receptions for 264 yards and three touchdowns on 33 targets, per Pro Football Reference.

Edmunds did not have to leave the state of Pennsylvania to find his new team. He now gets to join the Eagles, the reigning NFC champions, who fell just short of winning Super Bowl 57. The Eagles lost a lot of players in free agency, including their two starting safeties. C.J. Gardner Johnson signed a one-year, $6.5 million contract with the Detroit Lions, and Marcus Epps agreed to a two-year, $12 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders.

With the loss of Gardner-Johnson and Epps, the Eagles looked to their in-state counterparts to bring in starting-caliber safety in Edmunds.