A Hard Goodbye for a Franchise Great

Alan Faneca woke up on February 6, 2006, and simply screamed. Images of winning the Super Bowl—and celebrating with his teammates as confetti fluttered in the charged air—hadn’t been any more dormant than Faneca, and the perennial Pro Bowl guard didn’t try to contain his emotions after less than an hour of sleep.

A little less than two years later, Faneca couldn’t contain different emotions. The Steelers had just fallen to the Jacksonville Jaguars in an AFC playoff game, and Faneca sat in front of his locker at Heinz Field shortly after the 31–29 loss that ended Mike Tomlin’s first season as the Steelers’ head coach and bawled.

“I knew it was over and I just didn’t want to let go,” Faneca said.

Indeed, Faneca signed with the Jets two months later as an unrestricted free agent and played four more seasons, his final one with the Cardinals, before retiring.

His career, as decorated as it was, is a reminder that most players, even at the highest level of the game, don’t get to script their finish. Jerome Bettis winning an elusive Super Bowl title—and in his hometown of Detroit—and then retiring is the rare instance of a player going out on top and leaving the game when he wants.

Faneca joined Franco Harris and Rod Woodson as all-time greats who left Pittsburgh because of differences over money. He still serves as a poignant reminder that the Steelers and the NFL are a business—and that the bottom line leads to unfortunate endings even for exalted players like Faneca, one of the five best offensive linemen in team history.

“It hurt to leave,” Faneca said, “and when I look back on it now I think it was the perfect storm of everything wrong that could happen for someone going into a contract year and it just happened to land on my contract year.”

Did it ever.

Bill Cowher retired after the 2006 season, taking with him the clout that could have been used to push for a new long-term contract for Faneca. In addition, the market for top-tier guards spiked, putting the Steelers in a position of committing big bucks to a player who would be entering his 10th NFL season.

An inevitable impasse turned acrimonious in April of 2007 when Faneca blasted Steelers management on the first day of mandatory minicamp and said the upcoming season would be his final one in Pittsburgh. Faneca did not let a strained relationship with management affect his play as he again anchored an offensive line that helped Willie Parker lead the NFL in rushing before the speedy running back broke his leg in the penultimate game of the season.

Faneca earned first-team All-Pro honors, cementing his status as one of the premier guards of his generation. He signed a five-year, $40 million contract with the Jets and made two more Pro Bowls in New York.

Faneca said he and the Steelers never came close to a new deal even though the Steelers reportedly made a push to re-sign him before the start of free agency. He said he wishes he could have played his entire career in Pittsburgh and a strong argument can be made that the Steelers erred by not signing Faneca to a long-term contract in 2007 given the state of their offensive line.

“It is a regret,” Faneca said of playing elsewhere, “but there aren’t many guys that get to stay for 10 years in one place and not many guys get to finish in one place for sure.”

Faneca has made peace with how his time in Pittsburgh ended and he still stays in touch with many of his former Steelers teammates. He did not return to Pittsburgh for a 10th anniversary celebration of the 2005 Super Bowl championship team in 2015 but not because of any animosity toward the organization.

The weekend of the reunion Faneca and his wife, Julie, had to attend a funeral in New York. They planned to drive to Pittsburgh for the Steelers’ November 15 game against the Browns but they couldn’t travel because of a sick child.

“I really wish I would have been able to get back for the anniversary,” Faneca said, “but Jerome’s [Pro Football Hall of Fame] induction was like a reunion too and that was great seeing so many guys I hadn’t seen in five or 10 years.”