Mike Tomlin, Steelers cut 2x Super Bowl champion with Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs to bring back familiar face

In a 2025 NFL season that could be defining for his future with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Tomlin continues to make roster changes. In order to reunite with a familiar face, the team decided to release a two-time Super Bowl champion with Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes on the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Steelers made the roster moves on Monday, announcing the departure of veteran defensive back Juan Thornhill to make room for a reunion with rookie safety Sebastian Castro.

Thornhill, 30, joined Tomlin’s Steelers as an unrestricted free agent during the offseason after playing the last two seasons with the Cleveland Browns. Before that, he spent his first four years in the league with the Chiefs, who drafted him in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

His time in Kansas City was quite productive, with Thornhill making 52 starts as he contributed to two of the three Super Bowl wins the franchise has celebrated during the Reid and Mahomes era.

Juan Thornhill celebrates after defeating the Eagles to win Super Bowl LVII.

However, Thornhill’s exit from Pittsburgh appeared to be just a matter of time, as his role on Tomlin’s team decreased as the team paired Jalen Ramsey with Kyle Dugger from the New England Patriots. His last two appearances with the Steelers were on special teams.

Tomlin explains Steelers’ decision to release Juan Thornhill

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Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Tomlin explained that his decision to cut ties with Thornhill had to do not only with a lackluster performance by the safety, but also to seize the opportunity to reunite with Castro.

“The play wasn’t up to snuff,” Tomlin said of Thornhill’s release. “And Castro was available to us, and we went through the team development process with Castro. We thought he had a good camp, good preseason, and he played his tail off in that practice against the Bucs. That’s why they stole him from us and we had an opportunity to reacquire him. It was an opportunity to get him back.”

Shortly after releasing Thornhill, the Steelers moved fast to bring back Castro, who had originally joined Pittsburgh as an undrafted free agent out of Iowa in April before being poached from the practice squad by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 30. With the Bucs releasing him on Saturday, Tomlin didn’t hesitate to bring him back.