The Pittsburgh Steelers are in no mood to be used by Dont’a Hightower as a bargaining chip to get a sweeter deal from the New England Patriots.
According to Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL Network, the Steelers gave Hightower an ultimatum during his visit: Leave on that plane and our offer is off the table.
#Steelers are making the LB think before he gets on a plane… https://t.co/cZdQ1wEdeW
— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) March 14, 2017
#Steelers don't want Dont'a Hightower using them. He's left HQ, but he's been told if he gets on plane w/out signing, that offer is gone.
— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) March 14, 2017
Earlier during Tuesday’s visit, Kinkhabwala reported there were some “positive vibes” at Steelers headquarters (more on that here).
No doubt, those positive vibes will be fleeting if Hightower does board a plane bound back to New England without signing a deal with the Steelers.
One of the hottest free agents left on the market, the linebacker is also being hotly pursued by the New York Jets, who also don’t want to be used by him to land a better deal with the Patriots.
It’s worth pointing out that New England absolutely wants him back and has plenty of cap space with which to sign him to a lucrative long-term deal.
Things are certainly getting interesting. We’ll be watching closely to see what happens next.