Steelers GM Kevin Colbert says there’s nothing but love between the organization and new Ravens offensive lineman Alejandro Villanueva.
Speaking to Cook and Joe on Thursday, Colbert said “Al did a lot of good things for us in his six seasons with us,” but ultimately was a victim of the tight salary cap they’re facing in 2021.
“We knew we had some significant players coming up as free agents and we wouldn’t be able to sign them all, obviously when the pandemic hit and our cap went down as a result of no fans, we had to make some really, really tough decisions and try to move forward with it,” said Colbert.
Villanueva said during his first press conference with the media in Baltimore that the Steelers let him know shortly after the end of the season that they wouldn’t be able to bring him back and that he appreciated the organization for that.
“Felt back that we weren’t going to be in the market for Al, I’m happy for him,” said Colbert. He also reached out to Villanueva and told him “I’m glad it worked out for you, I’m glad you and your family have another opportunity and all the best.”
When a team decides to not keep a player, Colbert says they can’t control where they go so they have no problem with him signing a deal with Baltimore.
Villanueva said on Wednesday that he feels more comfortable on a Ravens line that doesn’t rely so heavily on the passing game and also seemed to take a shot at JuJu Smith-Schuster.
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