For a player who jokingly said he turned down a two-year, $200 million contract in the offseason, Bud Dupree finds himself in somewhat of the same position as last season: wondering if this will be his final year with the Steelers.
That possibility certainly didn’t bother him in 2019 when he had the best of his five NFL seasons that earned him a nearly $16 million payout this season.
And the Steelers are anticipating that not hurting him again this year, either.
“It’s bittersweet, but it’s also a blessing to be able to get to this point of my career and still be here, be in this position I am today,” Dupree said on Monday before the Steelers began their last week of training camp at Heinz Field. “I’m in the driver’s seat of my career right now. I’ll go out and play the best I can play and everything will be in place at the end of the year. I’ll be able to control my own destiny.”
Dupree is coming off his best NFL season, posting career highs in sacks (11.5), quarterback hits (17) and tackles for loss (16). He combined with T.J. Watt to form arguably the best tandem of pass-rushing outside linebackers in the league, totaling 26 sacks – just 1 ½ shy of the team’s all-time record for a duo set by James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley in 2008.
The Steelers did not want to disrupt the tandem — or their defense — so they placed the franchise tag on Dupree for 2020, which will pay him $15.8 million.
“We’re just trying to add on blocks to what we did last year, keep getting better and better every day, take that next step and keep going,” Dupree said.
And Dupree thinks that’s very realistic. Despite having the lead in just 16 of 64 quarters because of a non-productive offense, the Steelers still managed to lead the league in sacks (54) and takeaways (38). Those types of league-leading numbers are usually reserved for teams accustomed to playing from ahead.
With the return of Ben Roethlisberger and the addition of receiving targets such as tight end Eric Ebron and rookie Chase Claypool, it is not far-fetched to anticipate the Steelers playing with more leads this season.
“You always want to have lead just so you know it will be pass most of the time,” Dupree said. “You get way more opportunities when you get the lead, and with those opportunities, you got to create plays. When we get a lot of opportunities, we got to create plays and the splash plays when we can. It might be something special.”
After the 2019 season, coach Mike Tomlin said keeping Dupree was the team’s top priority in the offseason. And they did, but for how long?
“We expect him to continue to build on the trajectory his career has taken,” Tomlin said. “One thing about his performance, it has continually improved and it’s reasonable to expect that to continue.”
Dupree and the Steelers could find themselves in an untenable position after the season. Because of the pandemic and expected loss of revenue in 2020, the league’s salary cap could drop next season from the $198.2 million limit this season.
If the Steelers wanted to use the franchise tag on Dupee again — under normal circumstances, a very real possibility — it likely would be less than the amount he signed for this season. That could force him to pursue a better offer from another team in free agency.
The Steelers do not intend to sign Dupree to a lucrative long-term contract because that money will be ear-marked for Watt, though Dupree joked he and the Steelers were close on a two-year, $200 million contract during the offseason.
“I was like, nah, Cam can get the money, that’s fine by me,” Dupree said, referring to defensive end Cam Heyward, who is the first player in line to get a contract extension.
So here he goes again, wondering if this could be his last season with the team that made him the 22nd overall pick in the 2015 draft.
“It’s a big thing to think about, but at the end of the day I think everything will handle itself,” Dupree said. “Everybody is just looking for the best.”
Gerry Dulac: gdulac@post-gazette.com and Twitter @gerrydulac.
First Published: August 31, 2020, 8:08 p.m.
