Jaquan Brisker came home to Pittsburgh not because of his family, but because of the fit

LATROBE, Pa. (AP) — The layup answer was right there for Jaquan Brisker, but the Pittsburgh Steelers safety refused take it.

Asked if the chance to come home enticed the Pittsburgh native to sign a one-year deal with the Steelers in the offseason, Brisker — while standing near dozens of people wearing yellow T-shirts with Brisker's No. 3 on it after practice at Saint Vincent College on Saturday — shook his head.

“To be honest, I did not think about my family,” Brisker said. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to be shady to them, but I didn’t.”

He wasn't laughing. Maybe because, as special as the chance to look up into the stands at Chuck Noll Field and see 150 or so friends and family members sitting together in a roped off section was, it was more of just a happy coincidence than anything.

“I thought about the football aspect of it and, the best fit I had and, really the organization,” he said. “And this was a great fit.”

One that came at a relatively affordable price for the Steelers. Brisker signed for $5.5 million, with around $4.3 million of it guaranteed. It's a price Pittsburgh thinks could be a steal for a versatile, rangy player who had four picks and seven sacks during his four seasons in Chicago.

Yet the Bears opted to let Brisker walk even after a pair of eye-raising performances in the playoffs last season. Brisker had nine tackles in a first-round win over Green Bay and his No. 9 was all over the field against the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round, getting 14 tackles, a sack and two passes defensed while playing all 78 snaps in an overtime loss.

Brisker joins an experienced group that includes Jalen Ramsey — whom defensive coordinator Patrick Graham described as more of a “chess piece” than a pure safety — and Deshon Elliott, who is recovering from knee and hamstring injuries, that cost him the final two-plus months of 2025.

Where and how Brisker fits exactly remains uncertain, though the energy he has brought to the field during the opening days of what has been a relatively subdued start to head coach Mike McCarthy's training camp has been noticeable.

That's just the way Brisker prefers it.

“I’ve been loving this since I was four,” he said. “And being a Pittsburgh guy, all I breathe is football.”

Even if that love until this summer never led Brisker into making the hour-long pilgrimage from the Wilkinsburg neighborhood to Saint Vincent.

Brisker had never set foot on campus until he arrived with the rest of his new teammates earlier this week. The lush setting made an immediate impression.

“Like, I could live here,” he said.

While that won't be necessary, for a day anyway it sure felt as if Brisker owned the place.

He spent 10 minutes after the final non-padded practice of camp posing for pictures, signing T-shirts and hugging it out with an entourage that took over a considerable chunk of the bleachers.

Terry Smith, who coached Brisker at Gateway High School before the two were reunited at Penn State , made an appearance. So did many others who helped Brisker along a football journey that is having a full-circle moment.

How long it lasts will likely depend on what Brisker does with the opportunity provided he can stay healthy. He's been diagnosed with three concussions during his career, which may have played a factor in Chicago's decision not to re-sign him.

Not that Brisker is focused on the past. He has embraced the aggressive nature of Graham's defense, and while the practices during the opening week of camp are supposed to be devoid of contact, Brisker has found himself mixing it up on occasion.

“It’s all about the ball, all about getting turnovers, all about just getting stops and giving back the offense the ball and guys playing with that swagger, that energy," he said.

Brisker has plenty of both, though he's also made it a point to pull some of the players he grew up watching — former Pittsburgh cornerback turned mentor Ike Taylor among them — aside to pick their brain as he makes the transition from watching the Steelers on TV to pulling on the black-and-gold for work every day.

“I try to get as much information (as I can) from Ike all the time,” he said, “and just trying to feel how they had that connection, how they were.”

Brisker is eager to follow in Taylor's footsteps. The fact he'll get the chance to do it surrounded by so many familiar faces is merely a bonus.

And as cool as having his own special section at practice was, don't expect to see the same turnout on Sundays at Acrisure Stadium this fall. Brisker loves his family, but the cost of 150 or so game tickets is a little too pricey.

“They know that,” he said with a laugh. “They know that.”

NOTES: Longtime general manager Kevin Colbert, three-time Super Bowl champion J.T. Thomas and former offensive lineman turned radio analyst Craig Wolfley were selected to the club's Hall of Honor on Saturday. The trio will be formally inducted on Friday, Sept. 25 before a visit from the Cincinnati Bengals that weekend.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL