1 Steelers rookie was preparing to sign with a different NFL team

One of the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ most beloved rookies from the 2026 NFL Draft class was apparently on his way to a different team if he wasn’t selected on Day 3 of the event.

On a new episode of The Christian Kuntz Podcast, Steelers seventh-round rookie Eli Heidenreich revealed that he was set to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent before he was drafted by Pittsburgh.

“My agent was talking to Tampa Bay, and I agreed that I would sign with them in preferred free agency,” Heidenreich said. “So, I was kind of set there, and now I was sitting, and all of a sudden, I got that phone call, and I pick up, and it was Omar [Khan].”

Luckily for Steelers Nation, Heidenreich wouldn’t go undrafted and was selected by Pittsburgh with the 230th overall pick in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft. To make the moment even sweeter, Heidenreich was in attendance at the draft and made a rare Day 3 walk onto the stage surrounded by the deafening support of Steelers fans.

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