Pittsburgh

Steelers

“What better place to finish than one of the cornerstone franchises of the NFL?” he said. Rodgers, 41, says his 21st NFL season will be his last. After testing the waters with the Vikings and Rams, Rodgers landed in Pittsburgh on a one-year deal and has reportedly looked good in offseason practices. Rodgers is coming off perhaps his worst season as a pro with a dysfunctional Jets team and will helm a run-first Arthur Smith offense in Pittsburgh. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported last week that an NFL offensive coach said Rodgers will help the Steelers offense “immensely” in 2025.

The veteran long snapper most recently played for the Texans but has also seen stints with the Patriots, Dolphins, Cowboys, Jaguars, and Commanders during his three-year NFL career. He’ll try to wrest a job from Christian Kuntz in training camp.

Per the report, Shapiro hopes to bring more sports, including NASCAR, to Pennsylvania, but is “very worried about the overall budget.” Both the Eagles and Steelers could someday be impacted by Shapiro’s decision but the Eagles’ Lincoln Field lease runs through 2032. It’s unclear whether renovations, strictly speaking, would fall under Shapiro’s “new” stadium policy, but there should be ample time to resolve the issue.

In a mailbag article where DeFabo was questioned about the current state of the Steelers’ receiver room, DeFabo didn’t shy away from suggesting there could be some validity to any “smoke” around a potential trade for a receiver. Behind DK Metcalf is a group of unproven playmakers in Calvin Austin and Roman Wilson, and Robert Woods will be 33 at the start of next season. DeFabo noted that Jets receiver Allen Lazard, a long-time teammate of Aaron Rodgers’ remains an “obvious target” but adds that he believes the team wants to see how things look in camp before looking to upgrade. This is clearly a wait-and-see decision that could take several weeks to play out, but it wouldn’t be surprising if a trade, or a free agent signing (Amari Cooper, Gabe Davis, etc.) were in the Steelers’ future.

Both Rodgers and OC Arthur Smith are students of “Matt LaFleur’s Shanahan-style offense,” so the two should theoretically gel well. Rodgers is well past his prime, however, and DeFabo believes Metcalf’s speed could help alleviate age-related concerns. Though Metcalf performed poorly on slant routes last year, he has generally performed very well on them throughout his career. On qualifying routes, he’s caught 75-of-109 targets for 844 yards and six touchdowns while averaging more than 2.55 yards per slant-route run in 4-of-6 seasons.

Through five NFL seasons, Ward has rushed 22 times for 92 yards and caught 6-of-7 for 52 yards and one touchdown. He is a capable special teams contributor and may be able to find a spot on an NFL roster this season.

“He’s still throwing the s--- out of the ball, honestly,” the veteran NFL coach told Fowler. “He’s the best quarterback they’ve had since (Ben Roethlisberger). We will see how the body holds up, but I think he’s going to help them immensely.” An NFL front office official said Rodgers, 41, has lost a step but should be good for the team’s pass catchers. “Look, the mobility is an issue, there’s no doubt,” an AFC executive said. “But where he helps them is with the plus arm strength and the field vision from the pocket. They haven’t had that. I’m not sure that will be enough, but the offense will be at least respectable.” How Rodgers will fit into Arthur Smith’s run-first offense remains to be seen. His arm strength and veteran savvy should make him an upgrade over Mason Rudolph, however.

The deal includes $9.21 million in guarantees. Elliott is now tied to the Steelers through the 2027 season and is coming off a career year, having amassed 108 combined tackles in his first season with the franchise in 2024. Elliott had an 83.9 PFF run defense grade, but more modest coverage numbers. He figures to be a main cog in the box for Pittsburgh again in 2025.

Batko adds that the two sides have been in communication throughout Watt’s minicamp absence. It is in both parties’ interest to get a new deal done, but Watt’s firm stance is likely a tad unsettling for Steelers fans. The stalwart EDGE is understandably dead set on being paid handsomely. Players are scheduled to report for Steelers training camp on July 23.

Azzanni heaped praise on Austin, who he deemed “a legit NFL receiver” who has been “overlooked” by the league and members of the media. Austin, according to Azzanni, will “bite your face off” as a run blocker and has show great toughness as a pass catcher. “Everyone else is battling for a spot and it’s going to be by committee,” Azzanni added. While Steelers coaches have talked up second-year WR Roman Wilson as a potential No. 2 wideout behind DK Metcalf, Azzanni made it sound like Austin as the WR2 is a done deal. Austin in 2024 had 36 receptions for 548 yards and four touchdowns. He was targeted on around 15 percent of his pass routes, a low rate by any standard. Whoever takes over as the No. 2 receiver in Arthur Smith’s run-heavy offense will struggle to be fantasy relevant in a low-volume pass offense.