Steelers/NFL category, Page 339

Here’s a message for the “sports don’t matter at a time like this” crowd. After this weekend, don’t ever say such a thing again. During NCAA basketball conference championship week, at the dawn of the coronavirus epidemic, The Athletic’s Nicole Auerbach tried to sing that song as the ensuing wave...

Monday’s “First Call” features two new Steelers bringing a rare smile to our faces these days. New NFL Draft plans. A former Steeler goes back to the New England Patriots. And the financial woes of the NHL may be worse than we thought after the league-wide shutdown. Now that’s a...

Just about everything else is shutdown these days. But “Madden Monday” is not. Mark Madden of 105.9 the X and I are here to talk about what sports do exist. That includes the Steelers and NFL free agency. We examine the good things and bad things the Steelers did this...

Entering the NFL’s legal tampering period last Monday, the Pittsburgh Steelers knew some difficult decisions needed to be made. They had to restructure contracts to fit Bud Dupree’s franchise-tag tender under the salary cap. They prepared to say goodbye to the second-longest tenured player on the roster. They faced cutting...

The final member of the 2016 draft class departed the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday when cornerback Artie Burns agreed to terms on a one-year contract with the Chicago Bears. Burns, the team’s first-round pick that year, was the fourth member of that draft class to leave in free agency this...

At a midseason news conference last year, Mike Tomlin was asked to explain the reason for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ declining production in the red zone. “What do you think?” Tomlin retorted. The inference was clear: Without Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback, the team’s red-zone efficiency, which finished the worst in the...

Jordan Dangerfield wasn’t tendered a contract as a restricted free agent, but it turns out his tenure with the Pittsburgh Steelers wasn’t quite over. The team announced Friday they signed Dangerfield, a valuable special teams player and backup safety, to a one-year contract. Dangerfield was one of four restricted free...

Pittsburgh Steelers fans — much like 30 other NFL fan bases — are enjoying a heaping teaspoon of schadenfreude at the expense of the New England Patriots right now. After 19 years of dominance, the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era is over. Brady is going to play his remaining few years...

In Friday’s “First Call,” we look at which Steelers player is a workout pal with Antonio Brown. Mike Sullivan adresses the the idea of Sidney Crosby eventually coaching. Should Jameis Winston go to the Steelers? Also, more bad news in Boston. And “March Madness” replacement brackets. A.B.’s buddy If anyone...

Once his signing becomes official, future Hall of Famer Tom Brady is heading to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Speculation is rampant that former Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown will be joining him. As @TomPelissero and I discussed on TV, the word among teams interested in Tom Brady were among the...

If there is one thing I have learned from all the covid-19 fallout, it is that as Pittsburghers we have come together. We are all linking arms while somehow being six feet apart. We are all pulling on the same rope. Then wiping down that rope with sanitizer. We are...

The Pittsburgh Steelers kept their long snapper from reaching free agency and said goodbye to their former Pro Bowl fullback. On the first day of NFL free agency, the Steelers signed Kameron Canaday to a two-year, $2.425 million contract that includes a $450,000 signing bonus and salaries of $910,000 and...

As the new NFL calendar year began Wednesday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced they had tendered offers to two of their restricted free agents. Right tackle Matt Feiler and slot cornerback Mike Hilton each received a second-round tender worth $3.259 million. If another team tries to sign Feiler or Hilton...

With Tom Brady likely headed to Tampa Bay, I found the perfect person to relate to what it’s like to be a former sixth-round pick who played quarterback for the Buccaneers. Where Brady was the 199th pick of the 2000 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots, Bruce Gradkowski was...

In “First Call” Wednesday, people are laughing at New England’s pain. The NHL player proposal to restart the season stinks. And Marc-Andre Fleury looks like he is in the weeds of a quarantine. Now it is our turn No one is making this easy on New England. Legendary quarterback Tom...

On Tuesday, word leaked that the Steelers are set to sign former Los Angeles Chargers fullback Derek Watt. He is the older brother of Steelers Pro Bowl linebacker T.J. Watt and the younger brother of Houston Texans star defensive lineman J.J. Watt. Most fullbacks don’t exactly get a ton of...

The Pittsburgh Steelers got one of their restricted free agents under contract Tuesday when tackle Zach Banner agreed to a one-year deal worth $1.75 million. Banner signed a deal for less than the lowest tender amount — $2.133 million. He earned $645,000 last year as an exclusive rights free agent....

The Pittsburgh Steelers already have cornered the market on Edmunds brothers, and they apparently are bringing a second Watt into the fold. The Steelers will sign fullback Derek Watt, brother of the Steelers’ T.J. and Houston’s J.J., to a three-year, $9.75 million contract when free agency begins Wednesday at 4...

Tom Brady bid farewell to the New England Patriots on Tuesday, and it was stunning to actually see the NFL’s greatest quarterback leave its dynasty of the past two decades. Before you pooh pooh the Boston boo hoos with a goodbye and good riddance, imagine if this was a Pittsburgh...

In a procedural move that enables him to continue working with the organization, Ryan Shazier was placed on the reserve/retired list Tuesday by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Shazier hasn’t played since December 2017 when he sustained a spinal cord injury making a tackle against the Cincinnati Bengals. He has spent the...

To create more salary cap space before the NFL calendar year opens Wednesday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Steelers have restructured the contract of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, according to a source. Roethlisberger, 38, had his $8.5 million base salary and $12.5 million roster bonus converted into a signing bonus that will be...

The Pittsburgh Steelers will have to replace one of their top special teams players and their top backup interior offensive lineman for the 2020 season. Linebacker Tyler Matakevich signed a two-year contract with the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday. The deal reportedly is worth up to $9 million. Then, guard/center B.J....