In five days, all rosters must drop from a maximum of 90 players to 53. And there’s a viable alternative to cutting players and getting nothing in return.
Players who are destined to be visited by “The Turk” could be traded instead.
We’re already seeing it. The Chiefs dealt former second-round receiver Skyy Moore to the 49ers, for a flip of sixth- and seventh-round picks. Minnesota’s decision to trade defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, a team captain a year ago, was the alternative to what would have been an eyebrow-raising cut next week.
So expect more trades in the coming days. And, when they happen, realize that most of the players who have been traded would have been cut if their teams hadn’t found a way to make a deal.
When the Steelers face the Panthers for the 2025 preseason finale, starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers won’t play. Which means he will have not played at all in the preseason.
For the Steelers, that’s a rarity. As noted by Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, it’s the first time that a healthy Steelers’ starting quarterback hasn’t played in any preseason game since before the arrival of Ben Roethlisberger in 2004.
On one hand, it’s surprising. On the other hand, it isn’t. While neither Rodgers nor coach Mike Tomlin have divulged the full details of any understanding reached when Rodgers spent six hours or so at the team’s facility on a Friday in March, it’s reasonable to speculate that Rodgers and Tomlin mapped out a loose agreement as to how things would go.
First, possibly, they agreed Rodgers would sign just before the mandatory minicamp in June. That would allow him to avoid the voluntary portion of the offseason program without creating questions as to why Rodgers wasn’t participating in the offseason program.
Second, possibly, they agreed Rodgers wouldn’t play in the preseason.
Third, possibly, they agreed Rodgers would run the offense as he sees fit.
Rodgers is smart. Rodgers had leverage. The Steelers wanted him, and they didn’t have a viable, high-end alternative. They’re increasingly desperate to win a playoff game for the first time since the 2016 season. Why wouldn’t Rodgers seek to clarify certain things before he ever signed a contract?
Regardless of how or why the situation unfolded, Rodgers will be playing for the Steelers for the first time in the first game of the regular season. At MetLife Stadium. Against his most recent former team.
Despite the many experiences Rodgers has had in 20 prior NFL seasons, he has never faced a former team. He’ll be doing it in their building. Jets fans will be loud and unforgiving. A case easily could be made for making sure that, along with the other unprecedented aspects of the day, taking the field as a member of the Steelers shouldn’t be one of them.
Then there’s the issue of proper preparation. He missed the offseason. He didn’t do much at mandatory minicamp. By not playing even one drive in a preseason game, Rodgers and the Steelers will be opening themselves up to plenty of questions, if things get rocky in what should be a winnable Week 1 game.
The first three games should result in victories. At Jets, vs. Seahawks, at Patriots. After that, it changes. Vikings. Bengals twice. Ravens twice. Packers. Lions. Bills.
Wins in September are money in the bank. Losses in September create a hole out of which the team must dig. And the margins between winning a division or securing a wild-card berth are tight, especially in the AFC.
The decision to not play Rodgers in the preseason is a calculated risk. It’s still a risk. If the Steelers lose one or two of those first three games, plenty of people will wonder whether it would have gone differently if Rodgers had been better prepared for the games that count.
The Vikings traded defensive tackle Harrison Phillips and a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Jets on Wednesday, according to multiple reports. The Jets will send a 2026 sixth-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick to the Vikings.
Phillips becomes the second defensive tackle the Jets acquired Wednesday after an earlier trade with the Browns for Jowon Briggs.
Phillips spent his first four seasons with the Bills before signing a three-year, $19.5 million deal with the Vikings in 2022. He is under contract through 2026 after signing a two-year, $15 million contract extension with the Vikings in 2024.
The Vikings agreed to pay half of Phillips’ $7.4 million salary this season, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Phillips, 29, has started 51 possible games the past three seasons for the Vikings, totaling 207 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 17 quarterback hits and seven pass breakups.
Aaron Glenn is trying to change the Jets’ trajectory in his first year as the team’s head coach and his approach to preparing for the regular season made room for an unusual practice last Sunday.
The Jets held a practice that was not announced publicly a day after their preseason game against the Giants. It was unusual because Glenn was the only member of the coaching staff in attendance and the players led the drills in what the team is officially calling a walkthrough.
Safety Andre Cisco said it showed that Glenn wants a “player-driven team.”
“It was personally different for me because I’ve never experienced that — having no coaches out there,” cornerback Brandon Stephens, via Rich Cimimi of ESPN.com. “It was great for us to lead the groups by ourselves.”
Cimini notes that Glenn may have gotten the idea for a player-led practice from his days as a Jets player. Bill Parcells once pulled himself and the rest of the coaching staff out of a late 1990s practice because he was angry with the team and players led the rest of the session.
Those were better days for the Jets — Parcells took them to an AFC title game — and Glenn may be hoping that history repeats itself during his tenure.
The Browns and Jets have made a trade.
The teams announced on Wednesday that New York has acquired defensive tackle Jowon Briggs from Cleveland.
The Jets sent a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Browns in exchange for Briggs and a 2026 seventh-round pick. That Round 7 selection originally belonged to Buffalo.
Briggs, 23, was a seventh-round pick in last year’s draft. He appeared in six games as a rookie, recording 13 total tackles, one tackle for loss, two QB hits, and a fumble recovery.
