A surprise team with no ties to Tiki Barber has emerged as a possible landing spot for the soon-to-be no-longer-retired running back who is attempting to defy the odds with a comeback after missing four full NFL seasons.
There could be something down the line with Barber and the Steelers, according to two sources who stated that Barber would certainly be interested in restarting his career in Pittsburgh, playing for a player-friendly head coach in Mike Tomlin and a franchise that annually is a Super Bowl contender.
The Giants cannot officially remove Barber from their reserve/retired list until there is a new collective bargaining agreement. The Giants, though, are not going to impede Barber’s attempt to find a new team and are likely to give permission to Barber and his agent, Mark Lepselter, to start the process of drumming up interest — without any tampering fears by other teams — while the CBA negotiations are ongoing.
Asked if he has had any negotiations with the Steelers, Lepselter yesterday told The Post that would be “factually incorrect” and added he has not spoken to any teams about Barber.
Lepselter said, “We remain confident” there will be interest in Barber, who has been working out for more than two weeks, turns 36 next month and hasn’t played in the NFL since 2006.
“Tiki wishes the Giants the best and they have wished him the same,” Lepselter said. “In light of the fact that they will not be retaining his rights, and have stated such publically, we are hoping that we can begin speaking with other teams as soon as possible.” Though they have a dynamic quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers love to run the ball and at running back have Rashard Mendenhall as the starter and Mewelde Moore and Isaac Redman in reserve. Barber is not expecting a full-time role with a new team.
It was another day in the gym for Barber, who yesterday morning arrived at Carini’s House of Iron in Pine Brook, N.J., accompanied by his girlfriend, Traci Johnson, and two small dogs. — Perry Chiaramonte contributed to this story.