The Steelers have never made a habit of splashy free agent signings but one of their first big free agent acquisitions was one of their best, maybe the best.
Jerrol Williams began to emerge as a promising pass-rusher in Bill Cowher’s first two seasons so in 1993 the Chargers signed Williams to a free agent offer sheet that the Steelers declined to match.
Instead, they signed an established outside linebacker named Kevin Greene. The then 30-year old Greene had totaled 46 sacks from 1988-90, but just 13 the next two seasons so perhaps the Rams figured he had peaked. Greene had not.
So Greene not only came to Pittsburgh with a proven statistical track record, he also came with an attitude. Greene’s flowing blonde locks invited comparisons to wrestling superstar Hulk Hogan and Greene had the personality to match. He quickly became a fan favorite.
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Admittedly motivated by the Rams willingness to let him go, Greene flourished in Pittsburgh’s Bitzburgh’s defense. He bounced back with12.5 sacks in 1993 as number 91 Black and Gold jerseys popped up all over town. Greene was even better in ’94 with a league-leading 14 sacks then 9 more in 1995 as he teamed with Greg Lloyd, Levon Kirkland and Chad Brown to form the NFL’s strongest LB corps.
As strong as the Steelers were, each of LloydGreene’s seasons here ended in playoff disappointment – an overtime loss in Kansas City, the shocking loss to San Diego in the AFC Championship at 3 Rivers Stadium and, finally, the Super Bowl XXX defeat against Dallas.
The combination of a sight dip in production, advancing age and the salary cap prompted the Steelers to move on from Greene in 1996 and (like the Rams before them) watched Greene continue to perform at a Pro Bowl level.
He again led the NFL, this time with 14.5 sacks and would pile up 52 more sacks in his four years after leaving Pittsburgh. In all, Greene totaled 160 sacks (third all time) over 228 regular season games, with 8.5 more in the playoffs.
Even though only 3 of his 15 NFL seasons were played in Pittsburgh, when Greene was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016 he said he always identified himself as a Steeler.
"Rich history of lining up and kicking ass and winning -- it was awesome to be a part of that," Greene. "I was in football heaven."
Now he really is. And, at 58 years old, it’s way too soon.