Hoke Happy to be Staying a Steeler

Chris Hoke clearly didn’t want to play anywhere else, which is why it was nice the Black and Gold gave him a new deal on Thursday to keep him in Steel Town for likely the rest of his career. He spoke to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and seemed thankful that the Steelers stepped up and gave him such a generous deal for a player that is not a starter.

“It would be fun to start, but the thought of going somewhere else — you might not mesh with the coaching staff or the players or the organization, and the next thing you know you’re out the door in a year or two,” Hoke said. “It might be more lucrative initially, but you might not enjoy it as much.”

The 31-year-old came to the Steelers back in 2001 as a rookie free agent from BYU. He has proved his worth playing when Casey Hampton went down and he stepped in to play 10 games in 2005. He also does a great job spelling Casey when he needs a break on the D-Line. “I feel like they respect what I do,” Hoke said. “They know I work hard, that I go about my business and that I try to make the team better. I wanted to stay here. I didn’t want to go anywhere else. I want to finish my career here.”

The deal to keep Hoke in black and gold was a 4-year-deal worth $6 million. He also gets a $1.5 mil signing bonus.