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Lewis leaves Steelers for Saints, Mundy to Giants
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Washington Redskins wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe cannot hold on to a pass as former Steelers cornerback Keenan Lewis defends during a game last season at Heinz Field.
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Steelers cornerback Keenan Lewis today signed a five-year contract with his hometown New Orleans Saints, the third starter to leave them since free agency began Tuesday.
The deal is worth $26 million with $11 million guaranteed, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
About an hour later, the New York Giants announced the Steelers had lost another member of their secondary when they signed safety Ryan Mundy, a Pittsburgh native who played at Woodland Hills High School. Mundy has been mostly a backup in his four seasons with the Steelers and dropped from No. 3 safety to No. 4 last season.
Lewis, a third-round draft pick in 2009 from Oregon State, joined his former high school teammate, Mike Wallace, as a departing free agent. Wallace signed with the Miami Dolphins on Tuesday and Rashard Mendenhall signed with the Arizona Cardinals on Wednesday.
Lewis was a slow developer after the Steelers drafted him. He moved into the pass defense as a third cornerback in 2011 and then took over as the starting left cornerback last season. He started all 16 games and led the NFL in pass deflections, 28 by his coaches' count, or 22 more than he had in his first three seasons.
Mundy has been mostly a backup in his four seasons with the Steelers and dropped from No. 3 safety to No. 4 last season.
Correction, posted March 14, 2013: In an earlier version of this story, Ryan Mundy was misidentified.
First Published March 14, 2013 4:37 pm
