Steelers Extend HC Mike Tomlin
Mike Tomlin‘s Steelers tenure will continue for the foreseeable future. The team announced on Monday that their Super Bowl-winning head coach has signed a three-year extension.
As a result of this move, the 52-year-old is under contract through the 2027 campaign. He enters the coming season as the league’s longest-tenured head coach, having been at the helm of the Steelers for the past 17 years. That stretch has yet to feature a losing season, although it also encompasses a notable drought for postseason success. Considering owner Art Rooney II‘s comments in January, however, this move comes as no surprise.
Tomlin’s future has faced questions recently, with speculation swirling in the winter about the possibility of taking a year off from coaching before returning to an NFL sideline. Not long after Pittsburgh’s wild-card elimination, though, Tomlin confirmed he would remain in place for 2024. Per tradition in his case, he will not enter a lame duck situation, instead moving forward with considerable term on his deal once again.
“Mike Tomlin’s leadership and commitment to the Steelers have been pivotal to our success during his first 17 years as head coach,” a statement from Rooney reads. “Extending his contract for three more years reflects our confidence in his ability to guide the team back to winning playoff games and championships, while continuing our tradition of success.”
The Steelers won the Super Bowl during Tomlin’s second year at the helm, returning to the title game two years later. The team has posted double-digit wins during the regular season seven times since then, but translating that into a deep playoff run has proven to be challenging. Pittsburgh last won a postseason contest in 2016, enduring a five-game losing streak which includes this year’s loss to the Bills.
The 2024 offseason has seen plenty of changes for the Steelers, including the arrival of a new offensive coordinator (Arthur Smith). Tomlin drew criticism for the length of Matt Canada’s tenure in that role, but Smith’s arrival is expected to produce an upgrade in rushing success. Pittsburgh’s offense will also feature new faces along the O-line and, of course, a much different looking quarterbacks room than 2023. How Tomin handles the playing time of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields will be a key 2024 storyline for the team.
Tomlin sits in a tie for 12th on the NFL’s all-time wins list with 173. If he remains in place through the length of this new pact, he will continue to climb the ranks in that regard while also remaining in Pittsburgh for 21 seasons. That would place him two years shy of Chuck Noll‘s all-time franchise record.
“I am appreciative for this contract extension and thankful for Art Rooney II for his support during my first 17 years in Pittsburgh,” Tomlin said in a statement. “We are continuing to work diligently to get back to where we belong – sustained playoff success with the ultimate goal of winning the franchise’s seventh Lombardi Trophy. I am very excited to get the 2024 season underway and provide our fans with a memorable year.”
QB Bo Nix On Track To Start For Broncos?
To little surprise, the Broncos were one of six teams who used a first-round pick on a quarterback during this year’s draft. Bo Nix – head coach Sean Payton‘s target throughout the pre-draft process – is in line to serve as Denver’s starter at some point in the near future. 
The Oregon alum is one of three signal-callers who has spent time with the first-team offense during offseason practices to date. Nix is competing with trade acquisition Zach Wilson and returnee Jarrett Stidham. The latter has familiarity with Payton’s scheme dating back to his two starts at the end of the 2023 campaign, and he opened OTAs tentatively atop the depth chart.
Nix has impressed so far, though, as ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler notes (video link). The 24-year-old made a record-breaking 61 starts in college, and that experience should allow him to transition to the pro game fairly quickly. Nix’s accuracy was a central aspect of his success with the Ducks, and his ability to translate that at the NFL level will be a key talking point for the Broncos if he sees playing time as a rookie. Mike Klis of 9News confirms the QB1 job is Nix’s to lose at this point, adding he is on pace to start Week 1.
Of course, this week’s minicamp – and, more importantly, training camp this summer – will more clearly define the pecking order at the position. Denver took on an historic dead money charge by releasing Russell Wilson, clearing the way for Payton to move forward in his Broncos tenure with his preference under center. If that proves to be Nix right away, he will be expected to elevate an offense which put up middling numbers in several categories last year.
Klis adds that the battle for QB2 between Stidham and Wilson will be worth monitoring. The former is due $6MM in 2024, but only $1MM of his salary is guaranteed. The latter, by contrast, is owed the guaranteed $2.75MM Denver agreed to take on as part of the trade agreement with the Jets. Klis notes the financial element of the situation could come into play, and that will especially be true if Wilson can demonstrate why he was a recent No. 2 pick.
Like all teams, nothing is truly settled at this point of the offseason. Still, signs still point to Nix holding down starting duties right away as the Broncos continue to sort out their quarterback pecking order over the course of the offseason.
Patriots, RB Rhamondre Stevenson Nearing Extension Agreement?
For the past two seasons, Rhamondre Stevenson has served as the Patriots’ lead running back. That is set to continue in 2024, and it could remain the case beyond that point. 
When speaking to the media on Monday, Stevenson said (via Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports Journal) he “feels like” an extension is coming soon. While that falls short of confirmation positive talks on that front have taken place, it is nevertheless an indication team and player have a mutual desire to hammer out a deal. One year remains on Stevenson’s rookie contract.
The former fourth-rounder had an encouraging rookie season with 729 scrimmage yards and five rushing touchdowns. He followed that up in 2022 with career highs in carries (210), yards (1,040) and efficiency (5.0 yards per attempt). Last offseason saw the arrival of Ezekiel Elliott as an experienced backup option.
Stevenson suffered a high ankle sprain which led to a season-ending IR stint at the end of the campaign, one in which little (if anything) went according to plan on offense for New England. Elliott has reunited with the Cowboys though, paving the way for Stevenson to once again serve as lead back. The addition of Antonio Gibson in free agency will give New England a new pass-catching option, but Stevenson can be expected to log a notable workload in 2024.
The Oklahoma product is due $3.12MM this campaign, but a long-term deal would carry a higher value than that. The running back position has not taken off like others in recent years, though the 2024 offseason saw teams move quickly in signing the many veterans on the market. General manager Eliot Wolf and head coach Jerod Mayo represent a different regime than the one which drafted Stevenson, but they could be positioned to make him part of the Patriots’ core beyond 2024.
New England has quarterback Drake Maye attached to his rookie contract for years to come, and none of the team’s offensive skill position players are on a deal carrying an AAV above $9MM. Plenty of funds will therefore be available if the Patriots do indeed proceed with a Stevenson extension.
WR Pharoh Cooper Announces Retirement
Pharoh Cooper did not play in 2023, and he will not pursue a comeback this summer. The veteran receiver/return specialist announced his retirement on Monday. 
Cooper entered the league with the Rams in 2016, and he showed promise in the return game as a rookie. His follow-up campaign proved to be the best of his career on special teams, as he racked up 1,421 all-purpose yards while averaging 27.4 kick return yards. The former fourth-rounder earned a Pro Bowl nod along with first-team All-Pro honors that season.
The South Carolina product’s run with the Rams came to an end following an ankle injury in 2018. That marked the beginning of a span in which he bounced around the NFL while trying to remain a standout returner and carve out a role on offense. In the latter regard, his best season came in 2019 (243 yards, one touchdown on 25 catches) while splitting his time between the Cardinals and Bengals.
Cooper went on to spend the 2020 season in Carolina before joining the Giants the following season. His last game action came in 2022 when he returned to Arizona; in all three stops he saw sparse offensive usage while serving as the his team’s returner. For his career, Cooper racked up over 3,900 return yards and averaged 9.2 yards on punt returns and 23.6 yards on kick returns.
“Farewell football, I’m officially retiring from the NFL,” his retirement announcement reads in part. “I appreciate all the love and support I’ve received from my family, friends, and fans through out my career. Much love.”
Cooper will hang up his cleats at the age of 29. A veteran of 76 combined regular and postseason games, he amassed roughly $4.77MM in career earnings. After a full season away from the game in 2023, he will turn his attention to his post-playing days.
Ja’Marr Chase Attending Bengals’ Minicamp
Ja’Marr Chase is among the wideouts eligible for a new deal who elected to remain absent from his team’s OTAs. The Bengals Pro Bowler is in attendance for Cincinnati’s mandatory minicamp, however. 
The likes of CeeDee Lamb (Cowboys) and Brandon Aiyuk (49ers) have set themselves up for fines by choosing to skip out on minicamp, but Chase has elected to take the opposite route. The latter, to little surprise, chose to wait for Justin Jefferson to sign his Vikings extension before taking part in serious Bengals negotiations. With his former LSU teammate having reset the market, Chase can now proceed on that front.
Cincinnati has a pair of key decisions to make at the receiver position, of course, with Tee Higgins on track to play under the franchise tag. He has not taken part in extension talks for over a year, though, leading to serious questions about his long-term Bengals future. Regardless of if Higgins is retained beyond 2024, Chase will no doubt be a central figure in the team’s long-term plans. The 24-year-old is on the books through 2025 via the fifth-year option.
The Jefferson accord (carrying an historic AAV of $35MM) includes higher guarantees than Chase’s camp expected. It should help the bargaining power of all ascending wideouts around the league, and Chase is among those with the production to warrant a similar deal to Jefferson’s. Cincinnati has enjoyed the Chase-Higgins duo for the past three years, but a major investment to coincide with the one made in Joe Burrow will be needed to keep it intact.
The Bengals are not known for making long-term investments featuring guaranteed money deep into the pact, but that should be required to hammer out a Chase deal. Talks can take place now that he is back with the team, although it would be surprising if an agreement was reached any earlier than training camp next month.
Jets To Host WR Jakeem Grant
Jakeem Grant has spent time with a few different teams this offseason, but he has been unable to land a deal so far. The veteran receiver/return specialist will now join the Jets this week in his latest bid to find a roster spot. 
Grant will take part in New York’s upcoming minicamp on a tryout, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. The 31-year-old has been busy this spring in his bid to make an NFL return. Grant took part in the Eagles’ rookie minicamp, later doing the same with the Saints. He has not played a game since 2021.
The former sixth-rounder earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2020, his final full campaign in Miami. That was followed up by a season split between the Dolphins and Bears, during which Grant again got a second-team All-Pro nod in addition to a Pro Bowl invitation. For his career, he has six total return touchdowns to his name along with an average of 24.5 yards per kick return.
Grant has also chipped in offensively at times, topping out at 373 yard in 2020. Expectations were high for him when he inked a three-year Browns deal, but injuries have led to a prolonged absence. The Texas Tech product suffered an Achilles tear in August 2022, followed by a ruptured patella tendon one year later. Considering the missed time, it comes as no surprise he remains a free agent deep into the offseason.
The Jets used undrafted rookie Xavier Gipson as their kick and punt returner last year. The 23-year-old racked up 319 yards and a touchdown on punt returns, adding an average of 23.2 yards on kick returns. That performance could allow him to retain his special teams role moving forward, but an impressive showing from Grant over the coming days could lead to competition being brought in.
Lions To Sign LB Ben Niemann
Ben Niemann has found a new team for at least the near future. The veteran linebacker has agreed to a deal with the Lions, Justin Rogers of the Detroit News reports. 
Niemann enjoyed a four-year run with the Chiefs to begin his career, logging 12 starts during that time. A Super Bowl winner in 2019, he played a rotational role on defense while proving to be a strong special teams presence. His third phase skillset has allowed him to remain in the league with stops in Arizona and Denver over the past two years.
The former UDFA had a career year with the Cardinals in 2022. Niemann started nine games that season, collecting a personal best 70 tackles along the way. He signed with the Titans last April but ultimately wound up on the wrong end of roster cutdowns at the end of training camp. That resulted in a Broncos stint featuring time on the practice squad and active roster.
Niemann made seven appearances in Denver last season, but he did not see any defensive playing time. His special teams snap share (69%) was a career high, though, and the Lions will no doubt envision a similar usage setup for him this year. The 29-year-old will be in place to compete for a roster spot over the course of training camp and the preseason this summer.
Detroit’s linebacking corps is largely intact compared to 2023, something which should limit Niemann’s path to a notable defensive role. Anthony Pittman departed in free agency, however, creating a vacancy in the special teams department for the Lions. Niemann will aim to fill that void on his latest new team.
Latest On 49ers LT Trent Williams, TE George Kittle
Much of the 49ers’ offseason has revolved around the financial futures of wideouts Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel. Both appear to be on track to remain in San Francisco for 2024, but other members of the team’s offensive core could soon have their respective contract statuses become talking points. 
During a recent SportsCenter appearance, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on the presence of “whispers around some in the industry” that left tackle Trent Williams could seek out a new deal (h/t Joseph Zucker of Bleacher Report). The future Hall of Famer is on the books for three more seasons, but no guaranteed salary remains on his pact.
Williams inked a six-year, $138MM deal in 2021 allowing him to remain in the Bay Area for (presumably) the remainder of his career. The extent to which he will keep playing has become a talking point in recent years, with retirement being a consideration following the 2023 campaign. The 35-year-old has since named playing to age 40 as a goal, and he confirmed he will suit up for the coming season.
Recent developments in the market has seen Williams drop to fourth in the league in terms of annual average value amongst offensive tackles. He is due $20.9MM in 2024, followed by $23.35MM the following season and $33.06MM in 2026. It will be interesting to see if continued strong play from the 11-time Pro Bowler (who has earned first-team All-Pro acclaim each of the past three years) leads to an arrangement featuring new money up front or an acceleration of his future compensation.
Fowler also relayed a similar sentiment concerning tight end George Kittle. Two years remain on his pact (the third-highest at the position in terms of AAV), but he too does not have any outstanding salary which is guaranteed. Fowler notes the core muscle surgery which Kittle underwent this offseason has taken attention away from a potential contract issue toward his recovery process. On the latter note, the 30-year-old recently noted (via Matt Barrows of The Athletic) he is rehabbing as expected and is on schedule to take part in training camp.
San Francisco has new deals for Aiyuk and/or Samuel, along with a mega-extension for quarterback Brock Purdy as early as next offseason to plan for. For the time being, the futures of Williams and Kittle should not be considered an issue, but the report of potential discontent in the future could prove to be significant as the team attempts to keep as many members of its nucleus in place as possible.
WR Robbie Chosen To Visit Seahawks
Robbie Chosen will attempt to find a new home ahead of the NFL’s summer break. The veteran receiver has a minicamp tryout lined up with the Seahawks, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. 
Chosen – who has undergone multiple name changes in recent years from Robby Anderson to Robbie Anderson to Chosen Anderson – has likewise bounced around the league. Following a four-year run with the Jets, he had a career year in Carolina in 2020 (95 catches, 1,096 yards). Things took a turn for the worse after that point, though, and he was traded to the Cardinals midway through the 2022 season.
The 31-year-old made minimal impact in Arizona across 10 games there. It thus came as little surprise when he was released last March. Chosen went on to sign with the Dolphins, although he was among the team’s final roster cuts. In spite of that, he was immediately retained via the practice squad and wound up making nine appearances. Chosen made just four catches in Miami, leading to his extended free agent stay.
He will look to end it this week with a strong showing in Seattle. The Seahawks are certainly set atop the depth chart with veterans D.K Metcalf and Tyler Lockett in place alongside 2023 first-rounder Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The team also has Dee Eskridge on the final year of his rookie contract along with recent addition Laviska Shenault. Those two will be competing for depth spots alongside 2023 UDFA Jake Bobo.
Chosen will aim to use minicamp – which runs from Tuesday to Thursday – to earn a spot on the Seahawks’ offseason roster and as such the chance to compete for playing time in training camp. Seattle currently has a full roster and just $1.41MM in cap space at the moment, so only a low-cost offers would be feasible. Given the way Chosen’s career has gone recently, though, such a deal would no doubt be sufficient to add him.
Giants TE Darren Waller To Retire
Throughout much of the offseason, the future of Darren Waller has been in question. The veteran tight end has been expected to retire for some time, though, and to little surprise that is the direction he has elected to move in.
Waller has informed the Giants he will hang up his cleats, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. The 31-year-old made it clear he would make a final decision no later than the break between mandatory minicamp and training camp. With the final aspect of New York’s offseason program set to take place over the coming days, the team can now move forward knowing Waller will not be in the fold.
The former Pro Bowler faced major expectations upon his arrival with the Giants, which came about last offseason via trade. He was attached to a three-year, $51MM pact, but much of that will now come off the books given this decision. Waller’s retirement will create roughly $11.6MM in cap space while incurring a dead money charge of just over $2.4MM in 2024 and ’25. Given the nature of the free agent market at this time of year, of course, the team will be hard-pressed to find a starting-caliber replacement.
Plenty of snaps will be available to 2022 fourth-rounder Daniel Bellinger once again. He served as New York’s starter as a rookie, but his role diminished last season with Waller in place. The Giants added Theo Johnson in the fourth round of this year’s draft, and he will aim to carve out at least a rotational place in the team’s offensive plans. Veterans Jack Stoll and Chris Manhertz are also in the picture at the tight end spot.
Waller began his career as a sixth-round pick in 2015. His Ravens tenure consisted of sparse usage and a one-year suspension in 2017 for a violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy. After joining the Raiders, however, he saw a major uptick in production. During the 2019 campaign, the Georgia Tech product posted 1,145 yards. He followed that up with a 107-1,196-9 statline one year later, cementing his status as one of the top pass-catching options at the position around the league. Hamstring injuries became a problem over the past three years, however.
Over time, the missed action increasingly became an issue for the Raiders, and Waller’s injuries were a key factor in the decision to find a trade partner. The Giants paid only a compensatory third-round pick to acquire him last March, but Waller’s tenure in the Big Apple will go down as a notable disappointment. Injury consideration was a central component of his decision-making process with respect to attempting at least one more year in the league, something which would have seen him receive as much as $12MM.
Instead, Waller will call it a career after eight seasons and nine years in the NFL. With over $42MM in career earnings, he will now turn his attention to his post-playing endeavors. The Giants, meanwhile, will prepare for training camp with added financial flexibility but a vacancy on the TE depth chart.