5 longest playing careers in Pittsburgh Steelers history

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been as loyal to their players as any team in professional sports. When they find a legendary player, they do everything in their power to make sure he remains a Steeler for life. This mentality derived from the Rooney's and it's a big reason why this team has only had three head coaches since 1969.

Because of their loyalty, you won't find many teams that have had numerous players with longer playing careers. This fanbase has had the pleasure of seeing a number of Hall of Fame careers from start to finish with every single year coming as a member of this team. Here are the five longest playing careers in Pittsburgh Steelers history.

*All statistics courtesy of Statmuse.

5. Mel Blount: 200 games played with Steelers

Mel Blount hit the 200-game mark right on the nose. For a cornerback in today's game, this would be nearly impossible to do. Blount defied the odds and was able to remain a full-time starter until the age of 35 during his final season in 1983.

It's incredibly rare that you see a cornerback play 14 seasons all with the same team. Even '90s legends like Deion Sanders and Steelers Hall of Famer Rod Woodson weren't able to do so. Modern stars of the past two decades like Champ Bailey, Charles Woodson, Richard Sherman, and Darrelle Revis weren't able to stick with one team either.

In addition to playing a total of 200 games in black and gold, Blount recorded 189 starts en route to a Hall of Fame career. His physical play style resulted in new rules that forced defensive backs to tone it back a bit.