Former Packers wide receiver James Jones continues to break news during free agency. A week after he was the first to report that Jordy Nelson was headed to the Raiders, Jones tweeted Monday night that safety Morgan Burnett, who spent the first eight years of his career in Green Bay, was headed to Pittsburgh to sign with the Steelers.
Source tells me #Packers FA Safety Morgan Burnett is headed to the #Steelers Flying out tomorrow morning to complete the deal @nflnetwork @NFL
— James Jones (@89JonesNTAF) March 20, 2018
Burnett ranked 19th on Pete Prisco's top-50 free agents.
He is 29 and has been a quality starter for a long time. He would be a nice veteran addition for a team looking to stabilize the back end.
Burnett, whose production slipped in 2017, ranked 62nd among all safeties, according to Pro Football Focus' grades. But he ranked 12th in 2016 and ninth the season before. By comparison, the player Burnett would replace, Mike Mitchell, ranked 24th in 2015, 42nd in 2016 and 64th last season.
So why is Burnett, a former third-round pick out of Georgia Tech, set to join Pittsburgh when there were other likely suitors?
Spoke to someone close to Morgan Burnett who said chance to play for two historic franchises (Packers, Steelers) that also value veteran leadership was a big factor in his signing.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 20, 2018
The Steelers were one of the last teams to make a free-agent signing (we're still waiting for the Cowboys), and they had needs at inside linebacker and at safety -- the team lost linebacker Ryan Shazier to a spinal injury in December and he's already been ruled out for the 2018 season, and they released veteran defensive backs William Gay, Mitchell and Robert Golden last week. Pittsburgh signed inside linebacker Jon Bostic over the weekend and it appears Burnett will be the next player to join the roster.
