Patriots free-agent LB Dont'a Hightower reportedly will visit Steelers

It’s been widely reported that free-agent linebacker Dont’a Hightower will return to the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, but he’s at least looking around before he signs on the dotted line.

Hightower, regarded as the best remaining player on the market, has already reportedly visited the Jets and Titans, and now ESPN is reporting that the Patriots’ top AFC rival – the Steelers – will bring him in.

https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/841304028319494144

Hightower, 27, earned his first Pro Bowl selection in 2016 and has already won two championships in his first five years with the Patriots. It’s hard to imagine him wanting to play for anyone else, but the Steelers might be the only team of the three he’s visiting that could hope to rise to the Patriots’ level if he put on their jersey.

This is one to keep an eye on given that the Steelers have a hole after losing Lawrence Timmons in free agency, but it’s hard to believe that these visits are more than just a tool to drive up Hightower’s price before he returns to New England.