15 Players the Pittsburgh Steelers gave up on way too soon

Sometimes you need two to tango and Yancy Thigpen learned that the hard way

Not everything works out when it comes to a player finding a way to stick with a team throughout his entire career. Yancy Thigpen was a good example of that as he posted up some fantastic years with the Steelers before he ultimately departed for the Tennessee Titans. Quarterback play was still relatively scarce for the black and gold during Thigpen's playing days too.

Kordell Stewart was one of the main quarterbacks that threw Thigpen the ball on offense. It allowed for a dynamic connection that created a good number of points for Pittsburgh. Thigpen was the top receiver in Pittsburgh for a long stint before leaving. When he left after the conclusion of the 1997 NFL season, the Steelers were left without many receiving options.

One positive that did result from Thigpen's departure was the 1998 draft that saw Hines Ward be selected in the third round. That created for a whole new set of opportunities for Ward and his potential as a receiver. Thigpen did go on to have a respectable couple of years with the Titans, but nothing that matched his top years with the Steelers.

It was impressive the kind of numbers that Thigpen put up considering the type of quarterback play that he had to work with. It would have been better if both parties stuck together as Thigpen would have been the top guy still, even if Ward was drafted in 1998. Ultimately things just did not work out that way, but it is a wonder what could have been if Thigpen did stick around.