Steelers’ Ike Taylor Retires After 12-Year Career

Photo Credit: Blog.Chron

Cornerback Ike Taylor has formally announced his retirement from the National Football League (NFL). Taylor played the entirety of his 12-year career with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Taylor joins former Steelers safety Troy Polamalu in retirement prior to the 2015-2016 NFL season. Prior to the 2014 season, Taylor had taken a pay cut to finish his contract, having one-year remaining, with the Steelers. Taylor expressed his gratitude towards the Steelers organization by saying, “Other than having my son, playing for the Steelers has been the best experience in my entire lifetime” (Varley).

In addition to Taylor’s gratitude, Taylor emphasized the rarity of an NFL player playing for one organization for the entirety of their career. “It is rare, in this day of free agency that is super rare to play for one team. For me to have this opportunity says a lot about how they felt about me, what I gave back to the organization” (Varley). Taylor implements his imprint in Steelers’ history by winning two super bowls (XL and XLIII) and three AFC Championships.

Although the retirement is glorious, yet heartbreaking, where do the Steelers go from here? As stated earlier, the Steelers, in addition to Taylor, lost iconic safety Polamalu to retirement as well. The secondary is a necessity worth discussing when it comes to team needs.

The Steelers were ranked 27th in pass defense among the NFL in 2014. In the upcoming 2015 NFL draft, the Steelers could be looking at pursuing a defensive back in the first round, with their 22nd overall pick. Perhaps, Alabama safety Landon Collins could be a rebuilding cornerstone for the Steelers; if cornerbacks fall, such as Michigan States’ Trae Waynes or Washington’s Marcus Peters, the Steelers would certainly entertain the idea of drafting the need to address their necessity.

Readdressing Taylor’s departure, Taylor intends to stay close to the Steelers organization by coaching defensive backs in OTA’s (Varley). Although the Steelers are losing a stable player in Taylor, there is a positive outlook to the retirement in a rebuilding structure for the Steelers’ secondary.