“I am no different than any man. I bleed if you cut me,” Rod Woodson said back in 1997. For the first time in a decade, that year marked his first offseason when he wasn’t joining his teammates in the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ building. In fact, he was on his way to the San Francisco 49ers after the Steelers let him go in free agency. But while he respected the Rooney family and then-Steelers head coach Bill Cowher, the pain of not being retained has stayed with him to date.

“On draft day, I get a phone call from the Steelers organization, and I can’t remember exactly who it is, they’re like, ‘Are you going to take our three-year offer?’ And I said, ‘Wait a minute. I just gave you 10 years of football on the field, off the field, leadership, everything that I could have, and you’re giving me a minute to answer your question.’ Click. Hung up the phone,” Woodson said on Cam Heward’s podcast. “And that was it. So, it was probably a two-year window where I really couldn’t stand the Steelers. Because I felt so hurt that they didn’t give me the opportunity.”

Following the 1996 season, Woodson demanded a five-year deal from the Steelers. Per his reasoning, signing him on a five-year deal would have reduced his cap number, allowing the Steelers to spend more on the other players, especially with the draft coming up. Besides, the money that Woodson was looking for wasn’t all guaranteed either. But most importantly, the ex-Steelers cornerback demanded a five-year deal because he wanted to stay in Pittsburgh.

However, the Steelers offered Rod Woodson a four-year, $7.2 million contract with a signing bonus of $1 million. Instead of accepting that deal, Woodson ultimately decided to enter the free agency market and finished his Steelers tenure as one of the leading defensive backs in franchise history.

Across 10 seasons, Woodson earned seven Pro Bowl nods, led the franchise in interceptions with 38, and cemented his name as the Steelers’ record-holder for punt returns, punt return yards, kickoff returns, and kickoff return yards at the time of his departure. However, free agency didn’t help him much either when it came to money.

Considering his strained Achilles tendon, a sprained knee, and a back injury in the 1995 and 1996 seasons, Woodson’s market value declined significantly, and the NFL legend eventually went on to sign a three-year deal with the 49ers. His 49ers’ stint, however, lasted just one year before Rod Woodson signed with the Baltimore Ravens.

In Baltimore, meanwhile, the veteran corner ultimately got his break. While spending two seasons with the Ravens, Woodson became a Super Bowl champion and earned three Pro Bowl honors during that time. But when it comes to looking back at his career, even though he couldn’t stand the Steelers after they let him go, Rod Woodson still sees himself as a Steeler.