Kevin Colbert spoke to the media a few weeks back. One thing he said during that media call was that he would like to find a way to keep Bud Dupree because he is a special player. Colbert did say it would be doubtful they would use the franchise tag on Bud Dupree. So this is not new news coming out today in regards to the Steelers telling him they will not use the tag on him. What is new news is that the Steelers are not expected to use any tag at all on any of their free agents in 2021.
Just to refresh your memory of what Colbert said about Dupree I decided to write an article focused only on that. Kevin Colbert said the Steelers would never eliminate a player like Bud Dupree. The Steelers do not know what his market is going to be and neither does Bud Dupree at this point.
Colbert on keeping Dupree: “We’d love to be able to keep a Bud Dupree,” Colbert said according to Joe Rutter. “Bud is a special player, and Bud and T.J. Watt together is a special group.”
The Steelers have been in constant communication with Bud Dupree over the offseason. They also feel like he has progressed great during his ACL rehabilitation. The Steelers would like to keep Dupree, but it sounds like they will let him test free agency in hopes of him not getting a big deal. Spotrac says his market value is $18.2 million annually. That is a pretty big payday for Dupree and if he gets that offer the Steelers would not be able to compete with it.