What to Do About Casey Hampton?

It seems that if there’s one free agent that is going to get a lot of attention in the Steel City this offseason, it’s going to be Casey Hampton. The Steelers have already said they want the big man back, but it’s all going to come down to what his demands on the open market are at 32 years old.

ESPN AFC North blogger James Walker had this about Hampton today on ESPN.com:

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a huge decision to make this offseason with Pro Bowl nose tackle and pending free agent Casey Hampton.

Should the Steelers give Hampton, 32, a long-term contract? Pittsburgh also could let Hampton go into free agency or give him a one-year franchise tag, which would make him one of the NFL’s highest-paid nose tackles in 2010.

Here is analysis on the situation from Scouts Inc.’s Matt Williamson:

“I think Hampton will get franchised for a couple reasons. First off, the Steelers should view themselves as a contender. They’re not a rebuilding team. They didn’t make the playoffs, but they won the Super Bowl a year ago. They’re still very good, and you can’t afford to break in a new nose tackle in a 3-4 defense. It’s such a position in demand, and it’s so important for that scheme that you can’t just roll the dice and hope to get a rookie in there. There isn’t somebody on the roster who is his heir apparent. Ideally, that would be a great thing to pick up on draft day this year and groom him for a year while Hampton is franchised and will become a free agent again …. So you either let him walk and take your chances at an extremely difficult position to replace. Or you keep Hampton, probably address other needs, take a shot at the title again and worry about it a year from now. That’s the approach I think they’ll take, and I think that’s a smart move.”

Maybe they franchise Hampton, then try to work out a 3-4 year deal that makes sense for both sides? That seems to be the thinking of a lot of people as they talk about the Steelers big man in the middle.