Starks, Hampton may rejoin Steelers
PITTSBURGH — Maybe Max Starks and Casey Hampton aren’t quite done with the Pittsburgh Steelers after all.
General manager Kevin Colbert said Monday the team has not “shut the door on anybody,” including the two veterans who have a combined four Super Bowl rings between them.
Starks started all 16 games at left tackle in 2012 while Hampton did the same at nose tackle. Both players became free agents last month and remain on the market. The Steelers have already targeted their replacements — Marcus Gilbert for Starks and Steve McLendon for Hampton — but for a team that’s already lost a handful of starters to free agency or contract terminations, having some familiar faces might help.
Colbert insisted there is no rush and any movement would most likely happen after this weekend’s NFL draft.
“They could sign a contract today and end up behind a first-round draft pick,” Colbert said. “We’ll see where things stand on Monday.”
Age would be a significant concern for Hampton, who will turn 36 the week before the 2013 season opener against Tennessee. The five-time Pro Bowler split playing time with McLendon last season but could be more effective in a reduced role. Starks proved to be the mainstay on an offensive line that couldn’t stay healthy in 2012 but the 31-year-old could choose to go another route and compete for a starting job elsewhere.
Yet the Steelers, perhaps more than any other team in the NFL, make it a point to take care of their own. The team re-signed running backs Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer, linebacker Larry Foote, offensive lineman Ramon Foster and wide receiver Plaxico Burress.
Most notably Pittsburgh matched the offer the New England Patriots made to restricted free agent wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders.
