Raiders A Fallback Option For Aaron Rodgers?
When the Steelers replaced Mike Tomlin with former Packers coach Mike McCarthy, it seemingly increased the chances that Aaron Rodgers would return for a second season in Pittsburgh. If not, the only other logical option would be for the quarterback to call it a career. While those two choices still represent the likeliest paths, there could be a third fallback option for the future Hall of Fame QB.
[RELATED: QB Aaron Rodgers’ Steelers Decision Not Imminent]
An executive told Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom.com that the Raiders could end up being an option for Rodgers if things don’t work out in Pittsburgh. That source noted that Rodgers wants to be a definitive starter wherever he signs, and considering those starting opportunities are quickly drying up, the veteran QB may have no choice but “to get something done with Tom Brady” and the Raiders. At the same time, the source noted that a deal would naturally be dependent on the Raiders actually wanting the 42-year-old.
We heard earlier this month that a resolution wasn’t imminent, and La Canfora notes that Rodgers hasn’t shown any urgency to make a decision. For what it’s worth, the Steelers haven’t done anything to address the position this offseason and are clearly open to welcoming back Rodgers for another season.
Of course, the team will eventually like clarity at their most important position. Armed with the No. 21 pick, the draft may prove to be a decisive moment for the franchise. La Canfora notes that Kirk Cousins is also viewed as a “viable option,” although the team would obviously prefer to maintain some continuity (and provide some familiarity for McCarthy) via Rodgers.
The Raiders are all but certain to take Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza with the first-overall pick. The organization would presumably want to kick off that era of their franchise ASAP, but adding Rodgers to the mix would change the equation. There’s some merit to letting the young quarterback redshirt behind the iconic signal caller, although Rodgers’ win-now mentality could also run counter to the team’s developmental priorities.
Ultimately, the most likely path sees Rodgers returning to the Steelers for another season. As Rodgers considers his future, he’s presumably assuming that he’ll be welcomed back to Pittsburgh. If the organization suddenly decides to pivot and Rodgers decides he wants to continue playing, the Raiders could emerge as one of his only options.
Annual League Meeting Topics Coming Into Focus
In a week and a half, the NFL will undergo its annual league meeting in Phoenix. Preparations seem to be under discussion in NFL circles because a number of potential meeting topics were reported by the media today. 
For starters, the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement with the NFL Referees Association is due to expire at the end of May. According to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, the league is doing its homework on the idea of “hiring replacement officials” for the year, in case a new collective bargaining agreement cannot be reached by then. The last time replacement officials were utilized was during a 2012 lockout of officials. Starting in the offseason, it lasted over 100 days, requiring the use of replacement officials for the first three weeks of the season.
While the NFL declined to comment on the matter, Seifert claims that emails detail a plan to set “a list of about 150 mostly small college officials by the end of this weekend.” If the plan moves forward, the replacement officials would “begin onboarding as early as April then attend a four-day clinic in May.” They would then continue training until it becomes time for them to work at training camps, preseason games, and eventually, regular season games, if necessary.
Frustration has reportedly been mounting on both sides as the owners seek methods to improve performance and increase accountability of officials in order to make sure the “highest-performing officials are officiating (the) highest profile games.” The officials, though, want to keep things as they are or even, perhaps, reduce the league’s access to working with game officials.
The NFL also announced today that only two teams proposed resolutions for the 2026 season. One is a proposal from the Browns for “a rule change that would allow NFL teams to trade draft picks five years into the future instead of three.” Cleveland asserts that the change “would lead to a more active trade market and greater roster flexibility.”
The second proposal came from the Steelers, concerning NFL teams’ abilities to contact players during the free agent negotiating period. Pittsburgh’s proposal would make permanent a team’s ability to conduct up to five phone or video calls directly with players on other teams during the two-day free agent negotiating period before the start of the league year, something the NFL allowed on a trial basis this year.
Mark Maske of The Washington Post pointed out that, with these being the only resolutions proposed, that means no team chose to continue trying to ban the tush push and that the Rams opted not to propose anything in relation to the controversial two-point conversion scored against them by the Seahawks in Week 16 last year. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk claims the Rams withdrew their proposals on the topic.
Additionally, touching back on a couple of topics from the start of the offseason, there doesn’t appear to be any continuation of last year’s discussions on revisiting playoff seeding, per Maske. Florio touched on this topic back then, as well, reporting that it is expected to be brought back to the table once/if the regular season actually expands from 17 to 18 games.
Steelers Acquire, Extend WR Michael Pittman Jr.
MARCH 18: The official numbers on the Pittman extension emerged Wednesday, and the Steelers will have the former 1,000-yard pass catcher on a considerable discount compared to where he was with the Colts. Pittman is tied to a two-year, $35MM Pittsburgh deal, according to OverTheCap. It comes with $24MM guaranteed at signing. No guarantees are in place beyond 2026.
Previously tied to a three-year, $72MM pact, Pittman will receive his guarantee in the form of a signing bonus and a guaranteed $1.3MM 2026 base salary. At $17.5MM per year, the 6-foot-4 receiver matches Jerry Jeudy and Wan’Dale Robinson per year; the trio are tied for 23rd among wideout AAV.
MARCH 9, 7:24pm: Pittsburgh is sending a sixth-round pick for Pittman and a seventh, per the Pat McAfee Show‘s Mark Kaboly. This amounts to a salary dump by a Colts team that needed money for the Pierce payday and Jones’ tag.
Our Colts Offseason Outlook broached the Pierce-for-Pittman swap on the team’s payroll, and the club found a taker. The Steelers have their Metcalf complementary piece. Pittman, the first Colt to be franchise-tagged since McAfee (2013), is heading into an age-29 season.
11:52am: The Colts retained wide receiver Alec Pierce with a mega-deal on Monday, but they will say goodbye to another key pass catcher. The team has agreed to trade Michael Pittman Jr. to the Steelers, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports. The deal will be a late-round pick swap, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
The Steelers are awarding Pittman a three-year, $59MM extension, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. The 28-year-old otherwise would have played out the last season of his contract in 2026.
Days after the Colts placed the $37.83MM transition tag on quarterback Daniel Jones, Pierce stayed in place on a four-year, $116MM agreement. That left the Colts in need of cap space. By saying goodbye to Pittman, they will save $24MM at the cost of $5MM in dead money.
A consistently strong contributor since the Colts grabbed him in Round 2 of the 2020 draft, Pittman has reached 80 catches in four of his six seasons. He has also exceeded 1,000 yards twice. While 2025 was a down year in terms of yards per catch (9.8), Pittman still hauled in 80 passes for 784 yards and a personal-best seven touchdowns. He played in all 17 games for the second time in his career. Other than a 13-game rookie year, Pittman has never missed more than one contest in a season.
Although the Steelers do not have an established starting quarterback in place, expectations are that Aaron Rodgers will eventually re-sign. Rodgers quarterbacked the Steelers to 10 wins and an AFC North title last season, but the team lacked weapons at receiver after D.K. Metcalf. While Metcalf finished with 850 yards in 15 games, no other Steeler hit 500. Second receiver Calvin Austin, now a free agent, totaled 31 catches for 372 yards in 14 games. Meanwhile, no one from the Roman Wilson/Adam Thielen/Marquez Valdes-Scantling group posed much of a threat.
Regardless of who is under center for Pittsburgh in 2026, he should benefit from Pittman’s presence. The 6-foot-4, 223-pounder will give the Steelers a second proven wideout to complement Metcalf.
Kirk Cousins Weighing All Options In Free Agency
After attempting to force his way into free agency last offseason, Kirk Cousins finally got his wish last week. However, the veteran remains available after the first wave of signings and is still considering all of his options, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
One of the best landing spots would have been Kansas City. The Chiefs needed a starter until Patrick Mahomes completes his recovery from last December’s ACL tear, so Cousins could have had guaranteed playing time on a contending team to start the year. A successful season under Andy Reid certainly would have boosted his stock into 2027.
The Chiefs, however, traded for Justin Fields to bridge the gap until Mahomes’ return. The Falcons similarly signed Tua Tagovailoa to battle Michael Penix Jr. for a starting job, and the Colts have Anthony Richardson and Riley Leonard behind Daniel Jones in the event he cannot recover from his Achilles tear by Week 1. No other team has an injured starter, though Cousins’ history with Sean McVay in Washington could make him a natural fit as Matt Stafford‘s backup in Los Angeles, especially with Gardner Minshew following Mike LaFleur to Arizona.
There are two starting jobs available, Breer notes, in Pittsburgh and Las Vegas. Both teams, though, are expected to go with different quarterbacks. The Steelers are poised to reunite Aaron Rodgers with new head coach Mike McCarthy, and Fernando Mendoza has been projected for the Raiders’ No. 1 overall pick since the regular season ended.
Cousins ending up in Pittsburgh would likely only happen if Rodgers retires, and he would probably have to win the job against Will Howard, Mason Rudolph, and potentially a rookie taken in April’s draft.
The Raiders may consider sitting Mendoza in his first year to continue his development, but quarterbacks drafted in the top-five picks typically start right away. The reigning Heisman winner will also turn 23 years old as a rookie and seems ready for the NFL after leading Indiana to a national championship. However, new head coach Klint Kubiak was the Vikings’ quarterbacks coach (2019-2020) and offensive coordinator (2021) for one of the best stretches of Cousins’ career and could see him as a valuable mentor and placeholder for Mendoza as he gets his pro footing.
Cousins could also wait, Breer adds. Other teams could have interest in Cousins if their quarterback situations were to suddenly change with an injury. This would remind of last year, when Cousins preferred to see how every team’s QB depth chart looked post-draft. But no trade commenced then. With the Falcons having cut the cord following an organizational overhaul, Cousins should have a lower-stakes free agency decision to make at some point this offseason.
OL Notes: Lions, Linderbaum, Steelers, Texans, Giants, Panthers, Browns, Saints
Winning a 49ers starting guard job to open last season, Ben Bartch ran into injury trouble and ultimately lost his job. The veteran interior O-lineman suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 2, being part of another injury-riddled 49ers season. Upon return, Bartch did not reacquire his starting job. Bartch ended up suffering a foot sprain, after the 49ers used an IR activation on him, and played out his contract. The Lions have him on their radar, however, with KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson noting the NFC North team conducted a visit recently. A 24-game starter with Jacksonville and San Francisco, Bartch is heading into an age-28 season. Detroit signed Cade Mays to fill in at center, and the team returns starters Tate Ratledge and Christian Mahogany from last season.
Here is the latest from around the O-line groups:
- Not returning after a Week 12 neck injury, Broderick Jones underwent fusion surgery in his neck (according to the Pat McAfee Show‘s Mark Kaboly). It looked like a long shot Pittsburgh would exercise Jones’ fifth-year option ($19.07MM), and Omar Khan did not confirm Jones would be ready for training camp. That will make the left tackle position — in a stopgap scenario at the very least — one to monitor in Pittsburgh.
- Tyler Linderbaum‘s Raiders deal keeps looking more impressive. Already locked in to what is practically a three-year, $81MM fully guaranteed contract, the new Raiders center secured a no-tag clause for 2029, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. No center has been franchise- or transition-tagged since the Panthers cuffed Ryan Kalil with a franchise tag in 2011. Then again, no center (or guard) has approached Linderbaum’s $27MM-AAV accord. With tackles, guards and center grouped together on the tag, a 2029 Linderbaum tender would have been highly unlikely. But, showcasing the leverage the three-time Pro Bowler held in free agency, he secured this deal point anyway.
- The Giants re-signed Joshua Ezeudu earlier today; this came after the team hosted veteran guard Ryan Bates on a visit, Wilson adds. Bates spent the past two seasons with the Bears, starting only two games in two Chicago seasons, but he played out a four-year, $17MM Bills deal — one designed by Chicago via a 2022 RFA offer sheet — last season. The Giants have been stingy at guard despite making a strong push for Alijah Vera-Tucker, and options are dwindling. Though, ex-John Harbaugh Ravens charge Daniel Faalele remains available.
- Wyatt Teller played right guard throughout his Browns tenure, with LG staple Joel Bitonio in place on the other side for 12 seasons, but Wilson indicates a willingness on the new Texans signee’s part to switch sides. With 2025 Houston RG Ed Ingram re-signed, Wilson points to Teller playing left guard in 2026. Wilson also posits a scenario in which Evan Brown competes with incumbent Jake Andrews for the center position. While the Cardinals used Brown at guard over the past two seasons, he has logged full seasons at center — for the Seahawks and Lions — in the past.
- As Teller leaves Cleveland after six-plus seasons and Bitonio not certain to return, the Browns added three guard options (though, guard/tackle Tytus Howard is expected to play RT following a trade). Howard’s two-year, $45MM Browns extension includes $34.5MM guaranteed at signing, per OverTheCap. Option bonuses exist in 2027 ($18.41MM) and ’28 ($14.36MM), and $13.5MM of Howard’s 2027 compensation is guaranteed at signing. Howard is due a $4MM roster bonus in 2028, per Spotrac. Zion Johnson‘s three-year, $49.5MM Browns deal includes $27.83MM fully guaranteed, Wilson tweets. Two option bonuses are in place here, with Wilson adding the ex-Chargers guard will be due a $3MM roster bonus if on Cleveland’s roster by Day 3 of the 2028 league year. $13.57MM of Johnson’s 2027 compensation is fully guaranteed.
- The Saints‘ Dillon Radunz deal is worth $6.9MM over two years, with ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell noting it includes $3.5MM guaranteed.
- Adding center Luke Fortner and tackle Stone Forsythe, the Panthers kept costs low for both. A 2025 Saints trade pickup, Fortner is tied to a one-year deal worth $2.75MM ($1.33MM guaranteed), Wilson adds. Coming over from the Raiders, Forsythe signed a one-year, $2MM pact with $500K guaranteed (per Wilson).
AFC Contract Details: Mafe, Titans, Raiders, Dean, Bills, Texans, Jets, Pats, Steelers, Jags, Ravens
With the first wave of free agency in the rearview mirror, it is time to take stock of the full numbers given to some of this year’s top targets. Here are the details on some of the top contracts awarded by AFC teams:
- Boye Mafe, DE (Bengals). Three years, $60MM. The Bengals gave Mafe $19MM guaranteed at signing, according to OverTheCap. The ex-Seahawk is projected to land $43.3MM over the deal’s first two seasons, ESPN.com’s Ben Baby tweets. A $2MM roster bonus is due on Day 5 of the 2027 league year.
- Alontae Taylor, CB (Titans). Three years, $58MM. Taylor received $42MM guaranteed at signing, according to OverTheCap. The ex-Saints CB will receive $22MM in 2026, SI.com’s Albert Breer tweets.
- Wan’Dale Robinson, WR (Titans). Four years, $70MM. Robinson secured $36.98MM guaranteed at signing, Breer tweets. Neither of Robinson’s 2028 or ’29 base salaries contain guarantees or guarantee mechanisms. Each year carries $2MM in incentives, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets.
- Kwity Paye, OLB (Raiders). Three years, $48MM. Paye secured $31.28MM guaranteed, per Wilson; of that total, $25.34MM is locked in at signing (according to OverTheCap). Paye landed $10MM of his $15.5MM 2027 salary guaranteed at signing; the remainder of his ’27 salary vests on Day 4 of 2027 league year.
- Bradley Chubb, OLB (Bills). Three years, $43.5MM. Of Chubb’s previously reported $29MM guarantee, Wilson notes $21.74MM is guaranteed at signing. Chubb will see a $4MM roster bonus on Day 5 of the 2028 league year, per OverTheCap.
- Alijah Vera-Tucker, G (Patriots). Three years, $42MM. Vera-Tucker’s $21MM signing bonus represents his guarantees at signing, Wilson tweets, though the team has included a notable wrinkle. Vera-Tucker will earn $250K for each game he is active, with NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero noting this is among the highest per-game roster bonus figures in NFL history.
- Ed Ingram, G (Texans). Three years, $37.5MM. Receiving $20MM guaranteed at signing, the former second-round pick secured $5MM of his $8.5MM 2027 salary guaranteed at signing. The rest shifts from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee on Day 5 of the ’27 league year, per Spotrac.
- Jamel Dean, CB (Steelers). Three years, $36.75MM. Keeping with Steelers non-QB/T.J. Watt norms, Dean’s guarantee is his signing bonus ($12MM). Dean would receive a $4MM roster bonus on Day 3 of the 2027 league year, Wilson notes.
- Nakobe Dean, LB (Raiders). Three years, $36MM. Nakobe Dean scored $20MM guaranteed at signing, according to Wilson. The former Eagles linebacker, who missed 12 games due to injury in 2023 and six in ’25, will see $8.5MM of his $11.5MM 2027 salary guaranteed. The remainder becomes guarantee on Day 3 of the ’27 league year (via Spotrac).
- Joseph Ossai, OLB (Jets). Three years, $34.5MM. Ossai will receive $22.49MM guaranteed at signing, Wilson tweets. Ossai’s 2026 and ’27 base salaries are fully guaranteed.
- Montaric Brown, CB (Jaguars). Three years, $31.8MM. Brown landed $20.65MM fully guaranteed, Wilson tweets. The former seventh-round pick secured $8.15MM of his $9.5MM 2027 salary guaranteed at signing.
- John Simpson, G (Ravens). Three years, $30MM. Simpson secured $17.5MM fully guaranteed, Wilson notes. This includes $5.5MM of an $8MM 2027 salary.
CB Darius Slay Retires
Darius Slay will not be returning to the Eagles in 2026. Instead, his attention will now turn to his post-playing days. 
Slay took to Instagram to announce his retirement on Monday. The veteran cornerback ended last season on the reserve/retired list after not reporting to the Bills to close out the campaign. It recently became clear any NFL return would only take place with Philadelphia. That will not be the case.
“I’ve been blessed to play the game I loved since I was 5 yrs old for an amazing 13 yrs at the highest level,” Slay’s retirement message reads in part. “Football was my peace, my joy, my everything. This game put me in a position to help take care of my family and loved ones and I’m forever grateful.”
Slay entered the NFL as a Lions draftee in 2013. The second-rounder was a rotational presence during his rookie campaign, but he operated as a full-time starter through the remainder of his career. Slay spent his first seven years in Detroit, a stretch highlighted by the 2017 season; that year, he led the NFL in both interceptions (eight) and pass deflections (26).
In March of 2020, Slay was traded to the Eagles. That deal provided Philadelphia with a standout contributor in the secondary. The Mississippi State product earned three of his six career Pro Bowl nods as an Eagle during a stretch from 2021-23. The following season, Slay was a key defensive presence as Philadelphia won Super Bowl LIX. That title is one or many highlights on the former All-Pro’s resume.
Slay’s Eagles tenure seemed to be ending before he wound up remaining in place on a one-year pact for 2024. Last offseason, he joined the Steelers in free agency. A 10-game run (including nine starts) ensued, but things did not go according to plan. Slay was held without an interception for the second year in a row and he struggled in coverage. Pittsburgh’s decision to release him after the trade deadline led to a trip to the waiver wire. Slay’s preference was to return to the Eagles, but the Bills prevented that by putting in a claim.
In all, Slay totaled 198 regular and postseason games in the NFL. Having elected to hang up his cleats at the age of 35, he will depart the league with nearly $120MM in career earnings.
Alabama QB Ty Simpson Projected To Steelers?
We’ve gotten through just the first week of free agency, and already a number of teams with question marks at quarterback have found a solution. A thin draft class at the position necessitated some proactive movement by a couple of teams in free agency to fill the role behind center, clearing things up a bit as we start to look forward to the 2026 NFL Draft. 
It seems a foregone conclusion at this point that the Raiders will be selecting Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick next month. Past that, it’s unclear how many other passers, if any, will hear their names called in the first round. Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson is widely seen as the QB2 behind Mendoza and likely the only other college arm worth taking Day 1. These factors usually depend on necessity, so how needy are today’s NFL teams for a rookie quarterback?
The Dolphins, Falcons, and Vikings are three teams who opted to go the free agency route to address the position. Miami released Tua Tagovailoa after six years with the team and opted to sign free agent Malik Willis off a two-year stint as a backup in Green Bay. Atlanta quickly picked up the Dolphins’ scraps, signing Tagovailoa to the veteran minimum to compete with their other lefty quarterback in an open competition. Minnesota chose a similar route, bringing in Kyler Murray after his release from Arizona.
Obviously, there’s a chance that none of the three situations work out. Willis has only started six games in his career, Tagovailoa just turned in the worst season of his career, and Murray has missed over half the season twice in the last three years due to injury. And while signing these free agent options could stand every chance to turn things around, as well, it serves another positive purpose. Signing these quarterbacks allows these three teams to kick the can down the road to next year’s draft class or maybe even the class after that, in hopes of a more QB-rich group.
Looking at the current QB landscape around the NFL, it seems there are perhaps four teams for whom it would make sense to draft a quarterback this year — not counting the Raiders. These are teams that currently roster (or will likely roster) a veteran quarterback who can start while a drafted rookie is developed until they are ready to step in. These teams would be the Cardinals, Browns, Jets, and Steelers. Technically, the Rams could fit in here, as well, but as long as Matthew Stafford is playing at an MVP level and keeping the team in contention, Los Angeles isn’t likely to use a top pick on a passer.
Even between those four teams, the Cardinals will see veteran Jacoby Brissett return alongside newly signed free agent Gardner Minshew, the Jets traded for Geno Smith and return Justin Fields, and the Browns could see Deshaun Watson dueling with Shedeur Sanders in 2026. These situations don’t necessarily have the potential for ceilings as high as what the Dolphins, Falcons, and Vikings could see, but those QB duos could potentially serve as bridges to buy time for later draft classes all the same.
That leaves us with the Steelers, who are currently set to return only Mason Rudolph and Will Howard at quarterback. There are some expectations that 42-year-old veteran Aaron Rodgers could come back to play another season with his former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy now in charge in Pittsburgh, but Rodgers has been taking his time in making a decision.
If he does come back, this could set up the perfect situation for Simpson. One of Simpson’s biggest knocks is that he has only played one season of college football as a starter. Allowing Simpson to sit and learn under Rodgers could end up being the perfect recipe to building the next star passer to wear black and yellow. It seems we’re not alone in that thought, either. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk claimed yesterday to have sources who believe the Steelers “will take him if he’s on the board when Pittsburgh makes the 21st overall pick.”
Steelers To Sign DL Sebastian Joseph-Day
The Steelers are adding Sebastian Joseph-Day to their defensive line, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Joseph-Day has landed a two-year, $11MM contract. He will earn $6MM in 2026.
Joseph-Day, who will turn 31 on March 21, is headed to his fifth NFL organization. The Rutgers product has logged 90 starts in 105 games since he entered the league as a Rams sixth-round pick in 2018. Joseph-Day stayed with the Rams through 2021, their Super Bowl LVI-winning season, and has since played for the Chargers, 49ers and Titans.
Although Joseph-Day signed a three-year, $24MM deal with the Chargers in 2022, he did not make it through two full seasons on the pact. The Chargers cut him in late 2023. The 49ers scooped up Joseph-Day, who played two regular-season games with them and appeared in all three of their playoff matchups. San Francisco won the NFC, but Joseph-Day was on the field for just four defensive snaps in the team’s Super Bowl LVIII loss to the Chiefs.
After his brief 49ers stint, Joseph-Day joined the Titans on a one-year deal in 2024. He wound up starting in 12 of 17 games and picking up 44 tackles, six QB hits and 2.5 sacks. The Titans were impressed enough to give Joseph a raise on another one-year pact last March. Playing for a guaranteed $5MM in 2025, the 6-foot-4, 310-pounder logged another 17-game season and notched 41 tackles, six QB hits and a pair of sacks over 10 starts.
While Joseph-Day’s traditional numbers were similar in each of his two seasons in Tennessee, Pro Football Focus assigned him a much higher grade in 2024. He ranked 22nd among 132 qualifying interior defensive linemen then. Joseph-Day fell to a still-respectable 41st among 127 qualifiers last year.
A Stroudsburg, Pa., native, Joseph-Day will return to the Keystone State to join the likes of Cameron Heyward, Keeanu Benton, Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black on the Steelers’ defensive line. With new coordinator Patrick Graham at the helm, the Steelers have also added other notable defenders in cornerback Jamel Dean and safety Jaquan Brisker in free agency.
Steelers To Sign S Jaquan Brisker
Having already lost Kevin Byard and C.J. Gardner-Johnson, the Bears will see another veteran defensive back walk out the door in free agency. Safety Jaquan Brisker is signing with the Steelers, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports. It’s a one-year, $5.5MM deal, per Garafolo and colleague Ian Rapoport.
Brisker is heading back to his native Pittsburgh, which will be his second NFL stop. After a standout college career at Penn State, Brisker joined the Bears as a second-round pick in 2022. The 26-year-old started in all 52 of his games with the Bears.
Brisker played back-to-back 15-game seasons to begin his career, but he missed time with concussions in both years. Another head injury cost Brisker 12 games in 2024. Despite that, Brisker brushed off retirement in favor of continuing his career last year.
Not only did the 6-foot-1, 204-pounder log his first 17-game season in 2025, but he led all Bears defenders with a 99.91% defensive snap share (Byard finished second at 99.81%). Brisker tallied 93 tackles, eight passes defensed and an interception along the way. Pro Football Focus ranked Brisker’s performance a solid 45th among 91 qualifying safeties. With a 79.0 grade against the run, he placed 20th in that category.
Kyle Dugger, Chuck Clark and Jabrill Peppers were among the Steelers’ safety choices last season, but all three are now unsigned. Brisker will join a group that includes Jalen Ramsey, DeShon Elliott and the newly signed Darnell Savage. Between Brisker and former Buccaneers cornerback Jamel Dean, Pittsburgh has added two full-time starters to its secondary this week.