Newsstand News & Rumors

Steelers Sign Minkah Fitzpatrick To Record-Setting Extension

June 15th, 2022 at 11:04am CST by Adam La Rose

The Steelers have reached agreement on an extension with All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). The fifth-year defender signed a four-year contract which will pay him more than $18.4MM per year. The Steelers have announced the signing.

Schefter adds that the pact includes $36MM in guaranteed money. The deal comes as the 25-year-old was soon to begin a contract year in 2022. He was already on the books for one more season at $10.6MM, by virtue of his fifth-year option being picked up. Now, he is set be with the Steelers for the long-term.

Fitzpatrick quickly lived up to his draft stock as the No. 11 overall pick in 2018 with the Dolphins. His time in Miami was very short-lived, however, as he was dealt to Pittsburgh midway through the 2019 campaign. The Steelers paid a significant price to acquire him, sending a package which included a first-rounder, but Fitzpatrick has been worth it up to this point. Starting in all 46 contests he has appeared in with Pittsburgh, he has registered 203 tackles and 11 interceptions.

His level of play has earned him a pair of Pro Bowl nods and two appearances on the First-Team All-Pro list. As a result, the matter of an extension had long been seen as one of the top priorities for the Steelers’ front office, now led by Omar Khan. The possibility was raised of the Alabama alum conducting a ‘hold-in’ during mandatory minicamp to try and leverage a new deal, but that will no longer be necessary.

The value of this contract will make Fitzpatrick the league’s all-time highest-paid safety. Jamal Adams had held the top spot at $17.5MM-per-season, but this deal is the new watermark in a positional market which could continue to be on the rise with subsequent deals. Extensions for the likes of Derwin James and Jessie Bates will no doubt be influenced by this one.

“Minkah is one of the top safeties in the NFL and we are thrilled he will be in Pittsburgh through at least the next five years” Khan said, via the team’s website. “When we traded for him, we knew he was going to be an integral part of our defense and we look forward to that continuing as we prepare for the upcoming season.”

With fellow defensive pillar T.J. Watt under contract for the long-term already, the Steelers have another foundational player signed through the transition into the post-Ben Roethlisberger era. While questions remain on the offensive side of the ball heading into this season, the team’s pass defense will have one of its most important elements in place for the foreseeable future.

Rams, WR Cooper Kupp Agree To Extension

June 8th, 2022 at 6:31pm CST by Ben Levine

And like that, the Rams have extended another star player. Wide receiver Cooper Kupp has signed a three-year extension with the Rams, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).

The three-year extension will be added to the remaining two years on Kupp’s current deal, locking the Super Bowl MVP into what’s essentially a five-year, $110MM deal. That’s about $80MM in new money, as NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero tweets. Schefter clarifies on Twitter that Kupp will earn a new $75MM in guaranteed money. Earlier this evening, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport estimated that Kupp and the Rams were zeroing on a three-year deal.

Kupp wasn’t looking to reset the market with his new deal, and while he earned a handsome pay day, it still doesn’t crack the top-five at the position in terms of average annual value. The five-year, $110MM puts Kupp’s AAV at $22MM; that ranks sixth at wide receiver behind Tyreek Hill ($30MM/yr), Davante Adams ($28MM), DeAndre Hopkins ($27.25MM), A.J. Brown ($25MM), and Stefon Diggs ($24MM). In terms of total value, the five upcoming years for Kupp is only rivaled by Adams ($140MM) and Hill ($120MM).

Following an incredible 2021 campaign that saw Kupp lead the NFL in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947), and receiving touchdowns (16) before earning a championship and the Super Bowl MVP, it always seemed inevitable that Kupp would ink a new deal. The team made it clear throughout the offseason that a Kupp extension was a priority, but the team was in no rush to ink the deal with several priorities (including a new contract for Aaron Donald) still unresolved.

Indeed, the organization only inked Donald to a new deal days ago, and they’ve now completed a new contract for Kupp. In only a matter of days, the Rams have committed $205MM to the two players, and while the front office has done an admirable job of getting creative with their cap machinations, there’s no denying the future money the organization has committed to in pursuit of another Super Bowl win. Besides Donald and Kupp, the organization has also handed out a sizable extension to quarterback Matthew Stafford (four years, $160MM) while also signing linebacker Bobby Wagner (five years, $50MM) and wideout Allen Robinson (three years, $46.5MM).

The new deal will keep Kupp in Los Angeles through the 2026 season. This is already Kupp’s third contract, and as Albert Breer of TheMMQB points out on Twitter, this is a good case study in support of shorter extensions being more beneficial for players. Kupp inked a three-year, $48MM extension with the Rams in 2020. The East Washington product entered the NFL as a third-round pick in in 2017.

Kupp was productive as a rookie, but he missed half of his sophomore campaign. The receiver topped 1,000 receiving yards in 2019, and while he exceeded 1,000 yards from scrimmage in 2020, the numbers were still a step down from the previous campaign. Then, with Stafford joining the Rams, Kupp exploded, achieving the NFL’s receiving triple crown. His performance in 2021 earned him a number of accolades, including Offensive Player of the Year and first-team All-Pro.

Rob Walton Submits NFL-Record $4.65 Billion Bid For Broncos

June 7th, 2022 at 11:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

The second round of bids for the Denver Broncos came through, and the long-rumored frontrunner remained ahead in the race. Rob Walton‘s group submitted a $4.65 billion bid to buy the AFC West franchise, Mike Klis of 9News reports. The group enters a sales agreement, one expected to lead to the Broncos having new owners ahead of the 2022 season.

That price not only shatters the NFL record — one David Tepper set when he bought the Carolina Panthers for $2.3 billion in 2018 — but breaks the American sports record by more than $2 billion. Walton, his daughter Carrie Walton Penner and son-in-law Greg Penner — all Walmart family heirs — will take over a Broncos franchise that had been in Pat Bowlen‘s family from 1984 until it went on the market in February. Although the Broncos have been run by the Pat Bowlen Trust for years, disagreements among the late owner’s children led to the team going up for sale.

Walton’s group beat out the Josh Harris– and Magic Johnson-fronted contingent, along with those headed by Mat and Justin Ishbia and Jose Feliciano, respectively. All four finalists submitted bids Monday, but Walton’s — unsurprisingly, as his approximately $70 billion net worth puts him in line to become the NFL’s richest owner — won out. Walton’s net worth more than triples Tepper’s. The Panthers owner’s $16.7 billion worth currently leads the league. Rob Walton, 77, is the oldest son of the late Walmart founder, Sam Walton.

“I have enjoyed getting to know Rob Walton, Carrie Walton Penner and Greg Penner throughout this process,” Broncos CEO and president Joe Ellis said in a statement. “Learning more about their background and vision for the Denver Broncos, I am confident that their leadership and support will help this team achieve great things on and off the field.”

This transaction’s next step will be an NFL finance committee review. A three-fourths approval among other owners will greenlight Walton’s transition to becoming the Broncos’ next owner. Tepper’s Panthers purchase garnered a 32-0 vote. Walton’s acquisition is not expected to be met with resistance. A special convening between NFL owners is expected to take place in July, Klis notes. Walton appears set to be the Broncos’ controlling owner. But his daughter and son-in-law, along with Arial Investments co-CEO Mellody Hobson, will play roles.

All four ownership groups reached out to Peyton Manning, who had expressed interest in being part of the franchise’s next group. John Elway had as well. It is unclear as of Tuesday night if the Hall of Fame quarterbacks will move forward with a Walton-run franchise. Elway, the team’s GM from 2011-20, currently serves as a consultant to GM George Paton.

Rams Give Aaron Donald Record-Setting Raise

June 6th, 2022 at 3:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

Aaron Donald will be back with the Rams in 2022 and likely into the mid-2020s. The team gave the perennial All-Pro defensive tackle a raise. While no new years were added to Donald’s through-2024 deal, he will receive considerably more cash than he would have under the terms of his 2018 extension.

Donald, who has discussed retirement for months, is now set to earn a whopping $95MM by 2024, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The 31-year-old pass rusher will collect a $40MM raise on his old deal, Rapoport tweets, and again become the highest-paid non-quarterback in the game — a title the future Hall of Famer held for a few days prior to Khalil Mack topping him four years ago.

The eight-year veteran is returning to his place anchoring the Rams’ defense. The seven-time All-Pro is set to collect $65MM over the next two years of his contract, per Rapoport. It will be interesting to see if the Rams added void years to spread out the cap hits. The Rams have announced Donald’s return; he reported to the team’s facility Monday ahead of minicamp.

As far as guarantees go, Donald will receive a $25MM signing bonus and $6.5MM in additional 2022 guarantees, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports. His $13.5MM 2023 base salary shifts from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee on Day 3 of the 2023 league year. A $5MM roster bonus also will come Donald’s way if he is a Ram on Day 2 of the ’23 league year. Donald can collect the final $30MM if he remains a Ram on Day 5 of the 2024 league year. If Donald intends to play in 2024, the Rams would pay him a $20MM option bonus and $10MM base salary, Florio adds. No offset language is present.

This allows the team some flexibility beyond 2023, but Donald has been one of the NFL’s most durable players throughout his career. Donald would not reach free agency until the offseason ahead of his age-34 campaign. Still, the all-world defender’s through-2024 sum and his not being forced to add any new years to the deal illustrates both his value and the seriousness of his retirement threat. Donald’s previous contract carried a $23.5MM 2023 cap charge. The biggest difference of the pre- and post-raise cap hits will be a $38MM cap charge next year, Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com estimates. Void years are indeed present here, per SI.com’s Albert Breer (on Twitter).

Retirement rumors emerged shortly before Super Bowl LVI’s kickoff, and while Donald seemed to backtrack at the team’s parade, he still mentioned leaving the game after eight seasons last week. Sean McVay and Les Snead insisted throughout the offseason the team would take care of Donald, with McVay expressing confidence last week. It is fairly clear now why that was the case.

Money always hovered at the forefront here. Although no interior D-linemen passed up Donald in earnings over the course of his second NFL contract, several edge players did. T.J. Watt‘s $28MM-per-year pact topped the defender market entering the week. Tied to what amounts to a three-year, $95MM deal, Donald is the first non-quarterback to secure a contract north of $30MM per year.

Wide receivers made inroads toward the $30MM-per-year mark this offseason, but it took inflated figures in the final years of Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill‘s deals to balloon those contracts to their $28MM-AAV and $30MM-AAV marks. By not adding any new years on Donald’s contract, the Rams have moved into new territory with Monday’s deal. Given Donald’s resume and impact in the Rams’ second Super Bowl win, it is tough to argue he did not deserve a significant raise.

Since going 13th overall in the 2014 draft, Donald has become one of the greatest players in NFL history. Only Donald, J.J. Watt and Lawrence Taylor have won Defensive Player of the Year acclaim three times. The Pitt alum has maintained top form into his 30s, as evidenced by his Super Bowl-sealing takedown of Joe Burrow, which punctuated a dominant performance. Donald is the only active player to be named a first-team All-Pro seven times. The player with the second-most such honors among active performers, Bobby Wagner (six), will join him in L.A. this season. Donald has only missed two games in his career — both due to a 2017 holdout.

The Rams have taken care of their offensive and defensive pillars this offseason, with the Donald deal following their Matthew Stafford extension. The team remains at work on augmenting Cooper Kupp‘s contract, following his stratospheric 2021 season.

24th Accuser Files Civil Lawsuit Against Browns’ Deshaun Watson

June 6th, 2022 at 11:08am CST by Sam Robinson

A week after a 23rd woman filed a civil lawsuit against Deshaun Watson, another massage therapist has done so, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).

The number of women who have accused the Browns quarterback of sexual misconduct and/or sexual assault stood at 22 for many months. The 23rd accuser filed suit after seeing two of Watson’s accusers, Kyla Hayes and Ashley Solis, detail their allegations during an episode of HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel in late May.

The 24th lawsuit indicates the accuser and Watson met for two massages, the first ending early because the quarterback took a phone call. The second is when the alleged misconduct took place, with the suit also indicating the plaintiff quit massage therapy because of it, according to Barshop and ESPN.com’s Jake Trotter. This suit also alleges Watson sought massages from “random strangers on Instagram” more than 100 times, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The Real Sports segment also indicated Watson has received more than 100 massages in a year.

Watson has denied all allegations against him, but the rising number of accusers will apply pressure on the NFL from a public-perception standpoint. The league has concluded its interviews with the 26-year-old passer. The period for pretrial discovery expires July 1, pointing to a suspension coming after that date. Watson has not been criminally charged, but that is not necessary for a suspension under the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

Ten of the first 22 accusers made criminal complaints against Watson. Those led to two grand juries not recommending charges against the embattled quarterback. The civil suits are also not expected to be resolved until at least 2023, with the increasing number of suits set to drag this process out. But a suspension is expected to be handed down before this season begins. Additional punishment could emerge after the conclusion of the civil suits, but with that process set to pause from August 1, 2022-March 1, 2023, it is possible this matter will not be finalized by the start of the 2023 season.

Monday’s lawsuit mentions the “happy endings” remark Watson defense attorney Rusty Hardin made during an interview with Houston Sports Radio 610 last week, Barshop adds (via Twitter). Hardin referenced happy-ending massages not being illegal, and while Watson’s defense leader later attempted to clarify his remarks as hypothetical, the attorney for all 24 accusers, Tony Buzbee, said (via Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com) they would be used in civil suits alleging Watson attempted to turn massages from therapeutic to sexual in nature.

The 23rd lawsuit emerged before Hardin’s comments, but it alleges Watson offered each accuser $100K to settle the cases. Not all of the accusers were prepared to settle, Florio notes, adding Watson’s team included “aggressive nondisclosure agreements” as part of those settlement offers. The NDA matter came up when the Texans and Dolphins were discussing a Watson deal before last year’s trade deadline. The Dolphins moved in a different direction, leading to the Browns signing off on a trade and historic extension agreement. They now await to learn how much time their new quarterback will miss.

Buccaneers Sign DL Akiem Hicks

June 3rd, 2022 at 1:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

JUNE 3: Details on Hicks’ Buccaneers salary emerged Friday. While the former Bears standout will not make close to the money he was tied to on his second Chicago pact, Greg Auman of The Athletic notes the 11th-year veteran did secure a base value of $6.5MM (subscription required). Another $1.5MM will be available via per-game roster bonuses.

As they have done during their Tom Brady period, the Bucs attached void years to lower Hicks’ 2022 cap figure. Because four void years are included here, Hicks will count just $2.39MM on the Bucs’ cap sheet this year, Auman adds. If Hicks does not agree to an extension before the start of the 2023 league year, Tampa Bay will be tagged with at least $4.9MM in dead money.

MAY 31: After Akiem Hicks‘ free agency market generated little buzz for months, the former Bears All-Pro will land with a high-profile team. The Buccaneers agreed to terms with the veteran defensive lineman Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

Hicks and the Bucs agreed to a one-year deal that can max out at $10MM, per Schefter. Hicks spent the past six seasons in Chicago, but with the Bears shedding many veteran contracts from their previously experienced front seven, the talented interior D-lineman no longer appeared a fit.

This move essentially signals the Bucs will separate from Ndamukong Suh after three years. This appeared to be the direction the Bucs were heading, despite Suh having had conversations with Tampa Bay coaches earlier this offseason. Hicks, 32, is two years younger than Suh. While Hicks’ resume is not as decorated as the All-Decade D-tackle’s, he should have an opportunity to work as a key contributor on a defensive front that houses Vita Vea and Shaq Barrett. Second-round pick Logan Hall and the recently re-signed William Gholston also reside on a now-deeper Bucs front.

The signing represents a bit of a gamble by the Bucs; a durability disparity also exists between Suh and Hicks. The former has been one of the NFL’s most reliable performers, having never missed a game due to injury. Hicks missed eight games last season and 11 in 2019. Still, Pro Football Focus gave Hicks a solid 72.3 grade last season — albeit on only 304 defensive snaps. That mark was well north of Suh’s in 2021.

The Bucs newcomer joined Suh in being one of the top free agents still available, and he has extensive experience in a 3-4 scheme. Operating as a 3-4 end that played inside on four-man fronts, Hicks joined Khalil Mack in catalyzing the Bears’ defensive rise under Vic Fangio. Hicks’ best work came under Fangio, peaking with a 2018 Pro Bowl nod, with injuries largely limiting him during Chuck Pagano and Sean Desai‘s defensive coordinator years.

A 2012 Saints third-round pick, Hicks finished his rookie contract with the Patriots (after an in-season trade) in 2015. The Bears landed a bargain deal with Hicks in free agency in 2016 and later extended him — on a four-year, $48MM deal — a year later. Hicks recorded 23 sacks and 38 tackles for loss during Fangio’s final three Chicago seasons. While the 335-pound lineman did produce a career-high 21 quarterback hits in 2020, he has just eight sacks over the past three years.

Tampa Bay filling its Suh slot also creates intrigue for the 12-year veteran. Suh, 34, has played for four teams — the Lions, Dolphins, Rams and Bucs — and has appeared in two Super Bowls. He notched six sacks in each of the past two seasons and helped the Bucs erase a 24-point deficit against the Rams in the teams’ January divisional-round meeting. Despite Suh’s advanced age, he has been effective in 3-4 and 4-3 schemes and should have options to play a 13th season.

49ers C Alex Mack To Retire

June 2nd, 2022 at 1:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

After a lengthy stretch of contemplation about retirement or playing a 14th season, Alex Mack looks to have decided on the former. The decorated center is set to retire, Michael Silver of Bally Sports reports (on Twitter).

This will cap Mack’s 49ers tenure at one year and give the team another interior offensive lineman to replace. Mack started all 20 49ers games last season, rejoining Kyle Shanahan after the two previously linked up in Atlanta and Cleveland. Joining Ryan Fitzpatrick as a Thursday retiree, Mack finishes his career as a seven-time Pro Bowler.

Mack’s seven Pro Bowls are tied for sixth all time among pure centers, and although the Pro Bowl alternate era factors into this count, that number ranks behind only Maurkice Pouncey and Hall of Famers Jim Otto, Jim Ringo, Mike Webster and Kevin Mawae. Mack joined Pouncey on the 2010s’ All-Decade team at center.

The 49ers have had extensive time to prepare for this outcome and gained around $4MM in cap room Thursday by reducing Mack’s contract and moving $500K up to a June 2022 payment. Mack, 36, signed a three-year deal worth $14.85MM in 2021. That telling transaction will allow the 49ers more flexibility to potentially sign a Mack replacement, though Jimmy Garoppolo‘s $26.9MM cap hold has clogged San Francisco’s payroll for a while. It does not look like that lofty figure will come off San Francisco’s books in the near future, and the team entered Thursday ranking 31st in cap space. Mack’s adjustment still stands to help.

The Browns drafted Mack in the 2009 first round, and he delivered three Pro Bowl seasons in six Cleveland years. The Cal alum enjoyed an interesting offseason in 2014, when the Browns transition-tagged him and Jaguars submitted an offer sheet. The Browns matched the five-year, $42MM offer, but that deal gave Mack the right to opt out after two seasons. He did, doing so in 2016 en route to rejoining Shanahan — his Browns OC in 2014 — with in Atlanta. The Falcons handed Mack a five-year, $45MM deal, giving Matt Ryan a quality center ahead of a key season.

Atlanta’s Shanahan-conducted 2016 offense scored 540 points, which still ranks eighth in NFL history. Mack earned the second of his three second-team All-Pro nods, helping Ryan claim MVP honors. This season ended infamously in Super Bowl LI, but Mack made the Pro Bowl in his first three Falcons campaigns. He only missed two games during his Falcons years, playing out that five-year accord ahead of his return to the Bay Area. Mack earned his seventh Pro Bowl invite, albeit as an alternate, for his 49ers work.

Mack’s arrival helped the NFC West squad, which saw a severe Weston Richburg injury alter its center plans previously. This marks another belated retirement announcement on the 49ers’ O-line, which lost Joe Staley to an April 2020 retirement. The team responded by trading for Trent Williams. If the 49ers have a similar mindset two years later, some experienced snappers are available.

NFLPA president J.C. Tretter remains on the market, after the Browns made their five-year center a cap casualty in March. Former Broncos and Panthers starter Matt Paradis is also a free agent, with ex-Bengals starter Trey Hopkins and former Texans pivot Nick Martin available as well. The 49ers, who lost five-year left guard Laken Tomlinson in free agency, have some young internal options. None resides in the experience ballpark compared to the aforementioned UFA contingent.

Ryan Fitzpatrick Planning To Retire

June 2nd, 2022 at 12:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

After 17 seasons, Ryan Fitzpatrick looks set to retire. The veteran quarterback texted former teammates, including ex-Bills running back Fred Jackson, who shared Fitz’s intentions via Twitter.

Amazon is negotiating a deal with the exiting QB, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Fitzpatrick’s 17th season only featured a handful of snaps in Washington’s Week 1 game, which included a season-ending hip injury. But the Harvard grad left an imprint on the game.

He is the only quarterback in NFL history to have started for nine different teams. No other QB has started for more than seven. The 39-year-old passer, despite being a seventh-round pick, will exit the NFL having started for the Rams, Bengals, Bills, Titans, Texans, Jets, Buccaneers, Dolphins and Washington. Stretches as a backup ensued, and an earned rollercoaster reputation followed Fitzpatrick, but the former 250th overall pick continued to deliver NFL relevance into his late 30s.

What looks like the NFL’s final Fitzmagic dose occurred late in the Dolphins’ 2020 season, when the bearded vet pulled off a game-winning drive in relief of Tua Tagovailoa in Las Vegas. During the second of his two Bucs seasons (2018), Fitz averaged 9.6 yards per attempt. That remains tied for eighth-best in a season in NFL history — behind only Kurt Warner among post-merger QBs. While that figure formed during a seven-start season, that form helped the popular passer stay a viable option to take snaps into the twilight of his career.

Financially, Fitz did quite well for himself. Even after the Bills bailed on his most notable contract — a six-year, $59MM extension in 2011 — in 2013, he collected a few other nice checks on short-term deals. After Fitzpatrick broke Vinny Testaverde‘s 17-year-old Jets record for single-season touchdown passes, tossing 31 in 2015, Gang Green gave him a one-year, $12MM deal after an offseason impasse. The Dolphins signed Fitz to a two-year, $11MM pact in 2019, and Washington upped that price by inking the then-38-year-old QB to a one-year accord worth $10MM. Despite only playing 16 snaps last season, Fitz collected every penny.

After backing up Marc Bulger and Carson Palmer in St. Louis and Cincinnati, respectively, Fitzpatrick broke through in Buffalo. Taking over for a Bills team that had tried J.P. Losman and Trent Edwards for a fairly lengthy stretch, Fitz started 53 games for the Bills from 2009-12. None of those seasons produced a winning record, however, during the Bills’ near-two-decade-long playoff drought. The Titans and Texans then bolted on two-year contracts after one season apiece.

The Jets brought in Fitz in 2015, after Geno Smith had started two seasons. Backup linebacker I.K. Enemkpali punching Smith in the locker room likely altered his backup’s career trajectory. Fitzpatrick stepped in for a team rostering Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker and tallied a career-high 3,905 passing yards to go with the 31 TD throws. This produced the Jets’ most successful season of the past decade, a 10-6 campaign. While Fitz struggled in a crucial season finale, he re-established himself as a starter option.

Following his surprisingly explosive Jameis Winston fill-in season, which featured some memorable press conference attire, Fitzpatrick led a woeful 2019 Dolphins roster to five wins — something that produced a major NFL controversy years later — and concluded that season with a stunning upset in New England. That result game gave the Chiefs a first-round bye, catalyzing the eventual champions’ Super Bowl LIV push.

For his career, Fitz finishes with 34,990 passing yards (32nd all time), 223 touchdown passes (36th) and 169 INTs. This somewhat amazingly never translated to a single playoff appearance in 17 years, with his starter record 59-87-1. But this sub-.500, regular-season-only run certainly generated considerable attention and delivered a host of memorable moments.

Steelers DL Stephon Tuitt Retires

June 1st, 2022 at 1:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

After missing last season, Stephon Tuitt is walking away from the game. The longtime Steelers defensive end starter announced his retirement Wednesday.

A former second-round pick the Steelers once extended, Tuitt will step away after eight years with the team. He is leaving the game despite having just turned 29 last week. Tuitt’s status had been murky since his full-season absence. The death of Tuitt’s younger brother in a 2021 hit-and-run accident helped influence the veteran defender’s decision.

“I am thankful to have had the opportunity to represent the city of Pittsburgh for the past eight seasons and am blessed to leave this game with my health,” Tuitt said in a statement (Twitter link). “After the tragic loss of my brother Richard, and upon completing my degree from the university of Notre Dame, I know I am being called to move beyond the sport of football.”

Tuitt and Cameron Heyward represented one of the NFL’s top defensive end duos, and the Steelers ensured they would remain together during the late 2010s and early ’20s via Tuitt’s five-year, $60MM extension in 2017. One year (at a $9MM base salary) remained on that deal, with the Steelers tacking void years onto the contract for cap purposes. Because of those void years, Pittsburgh will be tagged with a few million in dead money.

The team will certainly miss Tuitt’s production. He started 79 games as a pro and finished the 2020 season with a career-best 11 sacks. The high-level interior D-lineman played a major role in the Steelers’ late-2010s defensive resurgence. The Steelers led the NFL in sacks from 2017-20. Excepting a 2019 season that ended early due to chest injury, Tuitt was a regular contributor to those squads, teaming with the likes of Heyward, T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree to form the consistently productive pass rush that helped transform the Steelers from their offensively geared “Killer B’s” stretch to a team with a more reliable defense. Tuitt’s sack binge helped Pittsburgh ranked third in scoring defense in 2020, which led to an AFC North crown.

Pittsburgh drafted Tuitt out of Notre Dame in 2014. After he spent most of his rookie year as a backup, the 6-foot-6 defender joined Heyward in the starting lineup. Tuitt registered 6.5 sacks in 2015 and finished his career with 34.5. Although the 3-4 D-end was never a Pro Bowler, Pro Football Focus viewed him as a top-15 interior D-lineman from 2017-20, PFF’s Doug Kyed relays (via Twitter). The eight-year veteran represented a steady presence for the Steelers’ defense. He was the team’s second-longest-tenured player, behind only Heyward.

After a knee injury and the grief over losing his brother sidelined Tuitt for the 2021 season, the team used a third-round pick on Texas A&M defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal in April. The Steelers also return 2020 pickup Chris Wormley, who started 14 games and tallied seven sacks. Heyward’s third Steelers contract runs through the 2024 season.

Cardinals CB Jeff Gladney Dies At 25

May 31st, 2022 at 4:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

MAY 31: The Dallas County Sheriff’s Department later confirmed a woman, Andrea Mercedes Palacios, died in the accident. Palacios was 26. Gladney’s girlfriend, Palacios was with him in a white vehicle that was found overturned Monday morning, ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss reports. The vehicle was believed to be speeding; it lost control after hitting another vehicle in front of it and colliding with a beam on Woodall Rogers Freeway in Dallas. The two passengers in the other vehicle were not injured.

MAY 30: Cornerback Jeff Gladney, a former first-round pick who had recently signed with the Cardinals, was killed in a car accident early Monday morning in the Dallas area, Clarence Hill and Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram report. The accident occurred at around 2:30am, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer (on Twitter). Gladney was 25.

Minnesota drafted Gladney 31st overall in 2020, 10 spots after former TCU teammate Jalen Reagor went off the board. The Eagles wide receiver made several tweets mourning Gladney’s loss Monday.

Gladney did not play in the NFL last season, with a felony family violence assault charge leading the Vikings to waive him in August 2021. After being acquitted of the charge in March, Gladney signed a two-year deal worth $6.5MM with the Cardinals.

“We are devastated to learn of Jeff Gladney’s passing,” the Cardinals said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to his family, friends and all who are mourning this tremendous loss.”

Gladney made 42 starts at TCU and finished the 2019 season eighth in Division I-FBS with 14 pass breakups. That helped garner the New Boston, Texas, native first-team All-Big 12 honors as a senior. Gladney, who was at TCU for five years, intercepted five passes during his college career.

The 5-foot-10 defender became an immediate starter for the Vikings, who used the rookie on 89% of their defensive snaps during the 2020 season. Making 15 starts for a Vikings defense that encountered numerous injury problems, Gladney made 83 tackles as a rookie. He was set to be a key part of the Cardinals’ secondary in 2022.

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