"I Felt So Hurt": Steelers Great Rod Woodson Explained Brutal Truth On Leaving Pittsburgh Unwillingly

The Pittsburgh Steelers were fortunate enough to have Rod Woodson spend a decade in the Steel City. To this day, he is still regarded as one of the most versatile and athletic cornerbacks in NFL history. Woodson was named the 1993 Defensive Player of the Year and holds the NFL record for the most career interceptions returned for a touchdown with 12. What made Woodson so special was that he wasn’t just a cornerback. He was an incredibly versatile defender who could line up in multiple spots across the defense, making him one of the league’s best players for more than a decade.

Despite his elite play, the Steelers ultimately allowed Woodson to walk in free agency after the 1996 season, a decision that remains controversial to this day. Woodson played 10 of his 17 NFL seasons in Pittsburgh before joining the San Francisco 49ers in July 1997. The Steelers evaluated him heavily based on his age and a previous ACL injury, but the organization later admitted they made a mistake in how they handled the situation.

While speaking with Cam Heyward on his podcast Not Just Football, Woodson opened up about the truth behind his departure from Pittsburgh and explained just how deeply the situation affected him. For a player who gave the franchise a decade of elite football, leadership, and commitment, leaving the Steelers was an emotional moment that still clearly resonates with him today.

"The night after the '96 season, we were talking and having conversations about contracts," Woodson said. "They wanted to give me just a three-year deal. That's all they wanted to offer me. I said, 'Hey, listen, give me a five-year deal.' I mean, this deal was really good for them. It gave me a five-year deal, it put my cap number down so they can spend money somewhere else, and the money wasn't even all guaranteed anyway. It wasn't even guaranteed."

At the time, Woodson was coming off an injury and was on the other side of 30 years old, which played a major role in how the Steelers approached his contract situation. 

Woodson didn’t want to leave Pittsburgh, but he ultimately felt he wasn’t being treated with the respect he had earned after a decade of elite play. After feeling like the organization wasn’t giving him the opportunity he deserved, Woodson hung up the phone on the Steelers and moved on.

"I personally wanted to stay," Woodson said. "As the offseason went on, the draft came up and on draft day I get a phone call from the Steelers organization and I can't remember exactly who it is. They were straight up like, 'Are you going to take our three-year offer?' I was like, wait a minute, I gave you 10 years of football on the field, off the field, leadership and everything else I could have, and you give me a minute to answer your question? Click. I hung up the phone and that was it. There was probably a two-year window where I really couldn't stand the Steelers. I felt so hurt that they didn't give me the opportunity."

Former Steelers Great No Longer Hates The Franchise

Over time, Woodson said he began to understand the business side of the NFL more and realized both sides were ultimately making decisions that were best for themselves. He highlighted the key figures within the Steelers organization from that era, calling them good people, and explained that they have since let bygones be bygones because sometimes difficult decisions have to be made in football. 

Woodson wanted to make it clear that he has tremendous respect for the Rooney family, believes they are great people, and has moved on from what happened.

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