(Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
Minus Ben Roethlisberger and Cameron Heyward, Vince Williams is the longest-tenured player on the Steelers, as he's heading into his ninth season. Through eight seasons in Williams' career, the Steelers haven't won the Super Bowl, or have reached the Big Game for that matter.
Williams realizes the clock is ticking on his career and made a post on Twitter yesterday about how bad he wants a ring and bring another Lombardi Trophy back to Pittsburgh.
"I wanna win a super bowl for the city so bad," Williams tweeted. "The love they give me now is nuts, I can only imagine what it’s like after a ring."
In March, the Steelers released Williams as a cap casualty to save $4 million, but they re-signed the veteran linebacker a month later on a one-year, $1.075 million deal. This could be Williams' final season, as he told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN in April that he's thinking about retirement after this season and has considered getting into coaching.
Williams has started 69 of 121 games with the Steelers since being drafted in the sixth round in 2013 out of Florida State. Williams is the only player that's still with the Steelers from the team's 2013 draft class.
In eight seasons with the Steelers, Williams has recorded 479 total tackles, 333 of them being solos, 50 tackles for losses, 20.5 sacks, 45 quarterback hits, five fumble recoveries, five passes defended and two interceptions, one of which was a pick-six.
Williams also had a career-high in tackles for losses last season with 14, along with three sacks.
Williams is a fan favorite and defines what it means to be a quintessential Steeler, and there would be no better send-off than to see Williams end his career as a Super Bowl champion.