Russell Wilson Announces Retirement
On Monday, it was reported Russell Wilson would spend the 2026 season as an analyst for CBS. That news obviously suggested his playing days were over, and that has now been confirmed.
On Wednesday, Wilson posted a video to social media announcing his retirement. The 37-year-old initially expressed a desire to play in 2026, and he received an offer from the Jets. Instead of serving as a backup for another campaign, though, Wilson will turn his attention to broadcasting.
Today’s announcement marks the expected end to a playing career which began with tempered expectations. As a third-round pick, Wilson was far from certain to serve as a capable long-term replacement for Matt Hasselbeck, whose Seattle tenure ended in 2010. As things turned out, though, the franchise enjoyed a sustained run of success under head coach Pete Carroll. His work and that of the ‘Legion of Boom’ on defense was of course critical to the Seahawks’ strong play, but Wilson was a foundational player as well.
Taking on QB1 duties as a rookie and never losing them over the course of his time in the Emerald City, Wilson helped lead Seattle to eight playoff appearances. That stretch included back-to-back trips to the Super Bowl; the Seahawks comfortably won Super Bowl XLVIII over the Broncos and nearly came out on top the following year against the Patriots. Replicating those deep postseason runs proved to be a challenge Carroll’s Seahawks were unable to meet, but Wilson continued to provide the team with strong play over a decade in Seattle.
From the start of his career, Wilson was recognized as a perennial Pro Bowler, earning invitations to the event in nine of 10 seasons with the Seahawks. He also earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2019 after finishing the year with 31 touchdowns to just five interceptions despite getting sacked a league-leading 48 times that season. He departed Seattle as the franchise-leader in passing yards, touchdowns, and several other statistical categories.
Wilson’s time with the Seahawks came to an end after the 2021 NFL season, when he was packaged with a fourth-round pick and shipped off to Denver in exchange for two first- and second-round picks, a fifth-round pick, quarterback Drew Lock, defensive tackle Shelby Harris, and tight end Noah Fant. Over two years with the Broncos, Westbrook struggled to produce as he followed up his only losing season as a starter in Seattle with two more in Denver.
After getting released, Wilson signed with the Steelers, going 6-5 as a starter after missing the first six games of the season and earning Pro Bowl honors one last time. He began the following year as a starter for the Giants, before ultimately ceding his job to Jaxson Dart. He failed to go out on top, but for a third-round quarterback, winning a Super Bowl, making 10 Pro Bowls, winning the Walter Payton Man of the Year award, and cementing himself as a top player in Seahawks history is a pretty good résumé. He’ll look now to expand his accomplishments on air.
Ely Allen contributed to this post.
Steelers Extend TE Darnell Washington
The youngest member of Pittsburgh’s three-headed monster at tight end last year, Darnell Washington has signed a long-term extension to remain with the team, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The Steelers will retain the massive weapon on a four-year, $42MM deal.
Measuring in as a 6-foot-7, 260-pound five-star recruit out of Las Vegas, Washington committed to Georgia and arrived in Athens with lofty expectations. After two years, though, Washington had only notched 17 receptions for 320 yards and a touchdowns in 21 games played; he missed some time after undergoing surgery for a minor foot fracture. Staying healthy enough to appear in 15 games as a junior, Washington finished 2022 with 28 receptions for 454 yards and two touchdowns before declaring for the draft and landing in Pittsburgh as a third-round pick.
So far, Washington has shown an improved ability to remain on the field, appearing in 50 of a possible 51 games in Years 1-3 and starting 29 of those contests. Over his first two years in the NFL, he was used primarily as a blocking tight end. Over that time, he saw 804 blocking snaps to 330 passing assignments, recording 26 catches for 261 yards and a touchdown over 34 games. In 2025, Washington saw a much more balanced workload, splitting his time fairly evenly between both responsibilities and reeling in 31 passes for 364 yards and a touchdown.
Having spent the first two years of his career behind Pat Freiermuth — who signed his own four-year, $48.4MM extension two years ago — and veteran Connor Heyward, Washington delivered his biggest season in Year 3 despite the offseason acquisition of Jonnu Smith. Joining his fifth team in six years, Smith had just come off a career-best Pro Bowl campaign with the Dolphins in which he recorded 88 receptions for 884 yards and eight touchdowns. He finished this year with seven more catches and one more touchdown than Washington but amassed 142 fewer yards and was released at the end of the year.
With Freiermuth and Washington secured atop the depth chart and Smith out, the rest of the room is populated by 2024 seventh-round pick Jaheim Bell, 2025 undrafted signee JJ Galbreath, and undrafted rookies Chamon Metayer and Lake McRee.
Washington’s deal comes a day after the team extended pass rusher Nick Herbig. According to Mark Kaboly of The Pat McAfee Show, Washington’s deal “came together really quickly” after “(picking) up significantly over the past couple hours,” and the team has “no plans to stop spending money this offseason.” Per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Steelers had eyes on five extension for the offseason, including those of Washington, Herbig, and kicker Chris Boswell. With three done, the final two remaining deals to get done would be for cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and defensive tackle Keeanu Benton.
Steelers To Extend OLB Nick Herbig
The Steelers have agreed to an extension with outside linebacker Nick Herbig, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports. It’s a four-year, $100MM deal with $42MM in guaranteed money. He is now under contract through 2030.
Herbig, who joined the Steelers as a fourth-round pick in 2023, had been in position to reach free agency next year. While Herbig came up as a potential trade candidate before April’s draft, general manager Omar Khan made it known he wanted to extend the former Wisconsin Badger. Several weeks later, Khan has achieved his goal.
Herbig is now the third expensive edge defender in Pittsburgh, which also has T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith on pricey deals. The Steelers are spending $84MM along the edge, which ranks second behind the Texans’ $96MM, Mike Ginnitti of Spotrac notes. Watt, who is signed through 2028, is owed a guaranteed $32MM this year. Meanwhile, Highsmith is due a nonguaranteed $14.5MM this season. He could become a free agent after 2027.
With Watt and Highsmith playing prominent roles throughout Herbig’s career, the 24-year-old has only started in 11 of 45 games in the pros. To Herbig’s credit, though, he has put up impressive production when on the field. Having totaled 16 sacks and nine forced fumbles, Herbig is expected to receive more playing time under new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham in 2026.
Herbig played just 17% of defensive snaps as a rookie, but his snap share jumped under the former head coach-coordinator duo of Mike Tomlin and Teryl Austin from 2024-25. He was on the field for 50% of plays in 2024 and 60% last season, a year in which the Steelers went without Watt for three games as a result of a collapsed lung.
Herbig took advantage of an increase in usage for the AFC North champions, leading all edge defenders in pass rush win rate and piling up a career-high 7.5 sacks in 15 games (six starts). He also tallied three forced fumbles and set career bests in tackles (30), QB hits (18), pass deflections (three) and interceptions (one). Pro Football Focus ranked Herbig’s performance a stellar sixth among 119 qualified edge defenders (Highsmith and Watt were 12th and 31st, respectively). Superstars Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, Will Anderson, Aidan Hutchinson and Trey Hendrickson were the only players at the position who earned higher pass-rushing grades than Herbig.
With Herbig becoming the 10th current edge defender on a $100MM-plus contract, the 2027 free agent market has lost a big fish well in advance. Tuli Tuipulotu, Byron Young, Kayvon Thibodeaux, YaYa Diaby, Jermaine Johnson and Myles Murphy are still on track to become free agents in a year, but at least a few of those players will likely join Herbig in signing an extension this summer.
Now that Khan settled Herbig’s long-term future, his focus could turn to pending free agent cornerback Joey Porter Jr. Locking up the three-year starter is a priority for the Steelers, whose defense is currently the most expensive in the league.
Steelers Work Out TE Robert Tonyan
The Steelers have already filled their coaching staff with Mike McCarthy‘s former assistants from his time in Green Bay, not to mention his longtime quarterback, Aaron Rodgers.
Now, they may be considering another reunion, albeit a much lower-profile one. Pittsburgh hosted former Packers tight end Robert Tonyan for a tryout at their mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor.
Tonyan, 32, did not make a 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie in 2017 and made his way to the Packers’ practice squad that December. He carved out a role on special teams in 2018 – McCarthy’s last season in Green Bay – before stepping into a blocking role on offense the following year. The 6-foot-5, 240-pounder broke out in 2020, reeling in 52 of his 59 targets for 586 yards. His 88.1% catch rate and 11 touchdowns were both top-five marks league-wide.
A torn ACL sidelined Tonyan for much of the 2021 season, and though his numbers rebounded somewhat in 2022, he was not nearly as efficient or effective in the red zone. He signed with the Bears in 2023, but made just 11 catches for 112 yards across 17 games with a much bigger focus on blocking. He saw zero targets during his five games wtih the Vikings in 2024 and just one with the Chiefs last year, though he appeared in every game as a No. 3 blocking tight end and special teams contributor.
The Steelers are returning Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington from last year’s tight end room, but Jonnu Smith was released in March. Fifth-round pick Riley Nowakowski and undrafted free agent Lake McRee are currently positioned to compete for tertiary roles, but McCarthy may prefer a familiar veteran, especially one who can be trusted with blocking and special teams duties. Tonyan was also a major part of Rodgers’ 2020 MVP campaign, so their chemistry could also motivate a signing.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/2/26
Today’s minor moves:
Cleveland Browns
- Placed on reserve/retired list: LB Markees Watts
Houston Texans
- Signed: OT Derrick Graham
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: DL Jalen Logan-Redding
New York Jets
- Reverted to IR: LB Kobe King
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Waived: S Makari Paige
Steelers, LB Patrick Queen Discussed Extension
MAY 30: When reflecting on his current status, Queen also said (via Christopher Carter of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) there was some truth to speculation regarding a potential trade this offseason. Nothing was ever imminent on that front, however. Uncertainty will continue to loom over Queen’s future beyond 2026, but he is set to spend a third year as a key member of Pittsburgh’s defense.
MAY 28: Patrick Queen has struggled to live up to expectations through his first two seasons in Pittsburgh. That apparently hasn’t stopped the Steelers from engaging in extension talks with the veteran linebacker.
When asked about his contract status, Queen acknowledged that the two sides have had some initial discussions about a new deal.
“It was talks here and there,” Queen told the Steelers beat (including ESPN’s Brooke Pryor). “Nothing crazy. … Obviously no movement either way. At the end of the day, they got a business to handle. I got a business to handle.”
Following a standout 2023 campaign with the Ravens, Queen joined their AFC North rivals via a three-year, $41MM contract. His grades from PFF have slipped in each of the first two years of that pact, culminating in a 2025 campaign where he ranked 79th among 88 qualifying linebackers. The website also credited Queen with a career-worst 20.4% missed tackle rate. Despite his struggles, the 26-year-old reportedly generated some trade interest from the Cowboys this offseason, although a swap obviously never came to fruition.
The Steelers haven’t done a whole lot to reinforce the position this offseason. The team did re-sign key depth piece Cole Holcomb, and Payton Wilson is entrenched at the other linebacker spot. Still, the team will continue to be reliant on Queen in 2026. After being handed the “green dot” responsibility through his first two years with the organization, perhaps the Steelers value Queen’s veteran leadership, especially as they look to install Patrick Graham‘s new defense.
While Queen’s performance doesn’t necessarily warrant a contract standoff, he was notably absent from the first week of OTAs before recently showing up for this week’s practices. Unless the Steelers are able to extend Queen for a below-market price, there’s a good chance they’ll let the 2026 campaign play out before committing to another contract.
Steelers Restructure TE Pat Freiermuth’s Contract
Even after the Jonnu Smith release and Connor Heyward Raiders defection, Mike McCarthy‘s first Steelers roster is fairly deep at tight end. The team returns Darnell Washington to go with fifth-round rookie Riley Nowakowski. Pat Freiermuth remains the veteran presence among this group.
The Steelers gave Freiermuth a four-year, $48.4MM extension before the 2024 season, and they are using this contract to create some mid-offseason cap space. The team restructured Freiermuth’s deal this week, according to Spotrac’s Michael Ginnitti.
Pittsburgh’s recent move will free up $4.25MM in cap space. The team was just shy of the NFL’s salary ceiling prior to this restructure, though more work will need to be done to carve out room to complete rookie signings. The Steelers are more than $1MM in the red in terms of effective cap space, per OverTheCap. The Steelers have not signed third-round quarterback Drew Allar yet.
This conversion reduces Freiermuth’s 2026 base salary to the veteran minimum and trims his cap number to $6.9MM. No void years are being added here, so future Freiermuth cap numbers are going up. He will count for $14.2MM against the Steelers’ 2027 cap and $12.6MM on the team’s 2028 payroll. The ’27 and ’28 figures are each increasing by $2.13MM, per OverTheCap.
Seeing Washington become a more prominent pass-game component and using Heyward regularly, the Steelers reduced Freiermuth’s snap share by a significant amount last season. He closed the campaign with a career-low eight starts and played 51% of Pittsburgh’s offensive snaps. The former second-round pick, who had logged a 69% snap rate in 2024, had never played fewer than 62% of the team’s offensive snaps.
Teams expressed trade interest in Freiermuth in early March; this report came before Pittsburgh released Smith, who remains a free agent. Washington, who played 57% of Pittsburgh’s offensive snaps last season, is viewed as an extension candidate. No guaranteed money remains on Freiermuth’s deal beyond 2026. This restructure would make a 2027 separation a bit more costly; a trade next year would tag the team with nearly $9MM in dead money.
The Steelers also added two high-profile receiving pieces this offseason, trading for Michael Pittman Jr. — and giving the possession receiver a two-year, $35MM extension — and using a second-round pick on slot target Germie Bernard. Smith and Heyward’s exits point to Freiermuth seeing a usage uptick under McCarthy, but how the team proceeds with Washington will be worth monitoring regarding Freiermuth’s future ahead of his age-28 season.
Steelers, Senior Special Teams Coach Derius Swinton Part Ways
The Steelers are moving on from one of Mike McCarthy‘s new staff hires well before the season. Senior special teams coach Derius Swinton is out, ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes.
Swinton is believed to have engaged in workplace misconduct, ESPN.com’s Brooke Pryor notes. The Steelers hired Swinton as a right-hand man for special teams coordinator Danny Crossman in February. Swinton, 41, has been an NFL assistant since the 2009 season.
Crossman joined the Steelers as their Danny Smith replacement; Smith, who is now with the Buccaneers, was a target to retain under McCarthy. But Crossman became the team’s pick once Smith left for Florida, leading to Swinton’s hire soon after. Now, Pittsburgh is without a top lieutenant for its new ST boss.
Swinton finished last season as the Raiders’ interim ST coordinator, taking over in that role after Pete Carroll fired Tom McMahon in November. A 2023 Josh McDaniels hire retained by Carroll, Swinton worked with new Steelers DC Patrick Graham during his time in Las Vegas. Swinton, however, had not previously worked on a McCarthy staff or with Crossman.
The lack of connections to the new Pittsburgh HC and ST coordinator made for an interesting fit, but Swinton has been coaching in the NFL since 2009. The Steelers were his ninth NFL employer. He had been a special teams coordinator twice — with the 49ers in 2016 and with the Chargers in 2021 — but mostly has resided on the assistant STC level. He has held that role for the Raiders, Cardinals, Bears and Broncos prior to his appointment in Pittsburgh.
NCAA Will Not Negotiate Settlement To Reinstate Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby
Brendan Sorsby‘s college football career appears to be on life support.
The NCAA denied the 22-year-old’s request for reinstatement on Tuesday with Texas Tech already working on an appeal to keep their coveted quarterback. Sorsby has a separate injunction hearing scheduled for Monday (with his personal attorneys) that would allow him to play as his legal case progresses.
The injunction seems to be his last chance at playing for the Red Raiders this year, as the NCAA has “already informed Sorsby’s legal team that it will not negotiate a settlement to get Sorsby back on the field,” per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
Such a settlement would have involved accepting a suspension for his infractions while remaining eligible to play later in the year. It was seen as the quickest path for his return to the field, but the NCAA will instead force him to prove his case in court.
Winning the injunction seems like a long shot, too. All Sorsby has to do is prove he has a chance of winning the case, but his admission of sports gambling and entrance into a treatment program is near-incontrovertible evidence against him.
As a result, it increasingly seems that the NFL’s supplemental draft will be Sorsby’s eventual next step. He could still face discipline from the league, perhaps also accepting a suspension similar to the Terrelle Pryor case as a condition of entering the draft. He would have time in July to work out in front of NFL teams, likely in a pro day-style setting with private workouts with interested teams.
Breer mentions the Colts and Steelers as two clubs who could take a look at Sorsby should he be available in July. Indianapolis signed Daniel Jones to a two-year deal, but he will have to prove he can resume his stellar play from 2025 post-injury. But his overall career suggests he may not be a long-term franchise quarterback, so the Colts could consider throwing a mid-round pick at Sorsby to prepare themselves from 2027 and beyond.
Pittsburgh has had no issue using Day 2 selections on quarterbacks in each of the last two drafts. Perhaps they would be willing to do so again, but that would create a developmental logjam with Will Howard and Drew Allar already taking second-team reps behind Aaron Rodgers.
Steelers Re-Sign DL Dean Lowry
The Steelers have finally agreed to a new deal with Dean Lowry. The team announced that they’ve signed the free agent defensive lineman to a one-year deal. To make room on the roster, the Steelers have waived defensive tackle Jahvaree Ritzie.
There were reports last month that the two sides had agreed to a new contract. However, that was quickly dismissed, as the Steelers wanted to give the veteran more time to return to playing shape. The 31-year-old is working his way back from a torn ACL suffered last summer.
Lowry joined the Steelers on a two-year, $5MM contract during the 2024 offseason. He mostly served as a backup during his first season in Pittsburgh, getting into about 20 percent of his team’s defensive snaps in his 12 appearances. The veteran suffered a torn ACL during last year’s training camp that erased his entire 2025 campaign. We heard previously that Lowry had been given medical clearance, and the Steelers are apparently happy enough with his recovery to bring him back for another season.
The former fourth-round pick turned into a dependable starter during his long stint in Green Bay, where he started 80 of his 111 appearances. He tallied 15.5 sacks, 23 TFLs, and 34 QB hits during his seven seasons with the Packers. He left for the Vikings on a two-year deal in 2023, but a pectoral injury limited him to only nine games that year. Lowry was cut loose after only one season in Minnesota.
While he’s unlikely to return to his early-career production, Lowry will still provide the Steelers with some veteran continuity on the defensive line. Isaiahh Loudermilk and Daniel Ekuale are both out the door, with Sebastian Joseph-Day representing Pittsburgh’s reinforcement up front. Derrick Harmon, Cameron Heyward, and Keeanu Benton will still command the majority of the snaps on the DL, but Lowry should be a dependable depth piece and special teamer.
Ritzie went undrafted out of North Carolina in 2025 before catching on with the Patriots. He had a brief stint on New England’s practice squad before getting cut in September. He caught on with Pittsburgh in January via a reserve/futures contract.