by It took a while, but Isaac Seumalo finally has a new home.
Seumalo, one of the few remaining players from the 2016 Eagles, signed a three-year contract with the Steelers, according to NFL reporter Jordan Schultz.
The Eagles have never been involved in talks with Seumalo, who started 60 games for the Eagles and is one of seven players to appear in the 2017 and 2022 Super Bowls.
When healthy, Seumalo is a very good player, but injuries have derailed his 2020 and 2021 seasons when he was limited to a total of just 12 games. He bounced back to start all 20 games this year and played at a very high level.
With the Eagles’ 2022 second-round pick Cam Jurgens waiting in the wings to take over at center or right guard, depending on what Jason Kelce has done with Seumalo’s projected big contract and Eagles cap issues There was never a chance Seumalo would be back for an eighth year with the Eagles.
The terms of the contract were not immediately available. Spotrac has priced Seumalo at $12 million a year, but considering we’re almost a week into free agency and the custody market hasn’t been lively, it’s likely the deal is worth less than that.
Former Raven Ben Powers signed a four-way deal worth around $12.9m a year with the Broncos, but he’s the only guard over $10m a year so far . And Powers is exactly three years younger than Seumalo, 29 (both were born on October 29).
But Seumalo is very good. Pro Football Focus ranked him 10th out of 79 guards who played at least 300 snaps last year with a rating of 72.7.
Seumalo was originally the Eagles’ third-round pick in 2016. He started the 2017 Super Bowl season as the starting left guard, but lost his job to Stefen Wisniewski four games into the season and spent the rest of the year as a substitute.
He regained the position midway through the 2018 season and remained there until 2021. After Landon Dickerson flourished in 2021 at left guard while Seumalo was out, Seumalo moved this year to right guard and played well while Dickerson made the Pro Bowl in his second year as a starter.
Seumalo’s 60 starts at guard are the eighth in Eagles history, behind Ron Baker (106), Todd Herremans (96), Jim Skaggs (77), Wade Key (74), Jermane Mayberry (74), Mark Nordquist (65), Brandon Brooks (64) and Steve Kenney (63).
With Dickerson – who turns 25 in September – and Jurgens – who turns 24 in August – the Eagles will have their youngest pair of full-time starting guards since 2006, when Herremans and Shawn Andrews were both 24.
With Seumalo leaving for Pittsburgh, only seven players remain on the roster for the 2017 Super Bowl season: Jason Kelce, Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox, all of whom signed one-year contracts last week, as well as Lane Johnson. , Derek Barnett and Specialists Jake. Elliott and Rick Lovato.
In addition to starters Dickerson and Jurgens, the Eagles have Jack Driscoll and Sua Opeta on the roster as experienced backups. Driscoll started 16 games and Opeta started five.
In Pittsburgh, Seumalo joins guard Nate Herbig, his teammate with the Eagles from 2019 to 2021. Herbig spent the last year with the Jets. Both became Eagles during the Eagles front office tenure of current Steelers assistant general manager Andy Weidl.
The Eagles have now lost six 2022 NFC Champions starters – Javon Hargrave (49ers), TJ Edwards (Bears), Marcus Epps (Raiders), Kyzir White (Cards), Miles Sanders (Panthers) and Seumalo (Steelers) as well as substitutes Gardner Minshew (Colts) and Andre Dillard (Titans).
They signed Kelce, Cox and Graham, as well as James Bradberry, Boston Scott, Rashaad Penny, Greedy Williams and Marcus Mariota.
