Pittsburgh Steelers left tackle doesn’t have a contract negotiation scheduled for quite some time, but he made the curious decision to change his representation this offseason, anyway.
Moore has signed with CAA Football and agents Graylan Crain, Jeff Nalley and Jimmy Sexton represent him, according to a report by Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal. Moore had been represented by Chris Coy of Vanguard Sports Group.
Players will frequently change their agent before their contract comes up, going in a different direction before they negotiate with the club in earnest for the first time. There is minimal negotiation available for rookies, who are subject to a contract slotting system, particularly for a mid-round pick like Moore, who came to the Steelers in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Texas A&M.
But Moore has two more years under contract with the Steelers, so unless he gets released or his traded, there won’t be any negotiations any time soon. Moore has been the Steelers’ starting left tackle since the first game of his rookie year, starting 35 consecutive games at the position. But his grasp on that position seems tenuous, at best.
Of tackles that played at least 50% of their team’s snaps last season, Pro Football Focus rated Moore as the 45th-best tackle in the league out of 57 that qualified. Steelers right tackle Chukwuma Okorafor slotted 47th.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said that he is comfortable, but not happy with his situation at tackle entering the 2023 season. Despite that, the Steelers have been connected to several in the 2023 NFL Draft, including taking Ohio State tackles Paris Johnson Jr. and Dawand Jones out to dinner before their pro day last month.
Speaking specifically about Moore at the NFL Annual Meeting in Phoenix this week, Tomlin praised his mental approach to the game.
“He’s mature beyond his years,” Tomlin said. “He brings a professional approach. He’s proven to be durable and available, which are big things. He works to eliminate mistakes and that speaks to a continual improvement. I just like what he’s done, but I think it all stems from his mature and professional approach to business. I think that allows all those other things to transpire.”
So does Moore see the writing on the wall about his future with the Steelers and want to get a jump start on his next landing spot? Or is there a more innocuous reason for changing his representation. We won’t know for sure until Moore speaks with the media for the first time at OTAs late next month.
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