Steelers show their loyalty to Ryan Shazier

It really doesn’t feel like it’s been more than a year since Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier suffered the back injury that has kept him sidelined ever since. But we were reminded of it, as well as the loyalty and generosity of the Steelers’ franchise. It was announced Tuesday that the Steelers are putting Shazier on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list for the 2019 season.

But this move is so much more than just ending Shazier’s season. By keeping Shazier on the roster, it allows him to not only keep his health insurance but also accrue another season. If Shazier isn’t able to play again, this would boost his pension pay when he does retire.

Any NFL player who retires after 1998 receives $5,640 monthly for every year of service. In addition, the Steelers were willing to pay Shazier his full $8.7 million in 2018 as part of his fifth-year option.

The #Steelers placed LB Ryan Shazier on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform List, ending his season, though they’ll still pay him nearly $500K. And we’ll continue to monitor his amazing process on social media.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 29, 2019

Pittsburgh was disparaged publicly by Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown for not being willing to step up and pay them what they felt like they deserved. But how the Steelers have handled the Shazier situation runs counter to their claims.