4 important Steelers who could be playing their final season in 2021

DT Tyson Alualu

Tyson Alualu is a player that hasn’t gotten nearly as much recognition as someone like Joe Haden. Despite both Haden and Alualu joining the Steelers in the same year (2017), Alualu has largely flown under the radar. However, that doesn’t mean he’s not an important player to this football team.

I was disappointed when I thought that Alualu was headed back to Jacksonville to finish his NFL career, but pleased when plans changed and he elected to hand his hat in Pittsburgh. Though he has never had terrific production on the Steelers, this is largely because of the nose tackle position he is asked to play. However, Alualu graded out as one of the better interior defensive linemen in the NFL in 2020, according to Pro Football Focus.

Unlike Haden, Tyson Alualu is actually signed through the 2022 offseason – meaning that, contractually, he is signed on to play two more seasons with the Steelers. However, some have flirted with the idea of him retiring, and he may want to call it quits with one year remaining on his contract.

Much of that could depend on Alualu’s performance in 2021. If the 34-year-old starts to play poorly, he could elect to retire or the Steelers could cut him after the 2021 season. Either way, there seems to be a reasonable chance that this could be it for Alualu.