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Pittsburgh Steelers News & Rumors

49ers Offered Le’Veon Bell ~$38MM

March 15th, 2019 at 7:15am CST by Ben Levine

It sounds like the 49ers really did make a big push for Le’Veon Bell. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports (via Twitter) that the organization offered the running back a three-year, $38MM contract that was “just about fully guaranteed.” Bell ended up inking a four-year, $52.5MM deal ($25MM guaranteed) with the Jets.

We heard conflicting reports earlier this week regarding the 49ers’ interest in Bell. The team would have been a relatively peculiar fit, as the team already invested a four-year, $30MM contract in Jerick McKinnon last offseason. Matt Breida also emerged as a potential two-down back for San Francisco, meaning Bell wouldn’t have been as much of a necessity as a commodity. Ultimately, the 49ers ended up adding former Falcon running back Tevin Coleman to their backfield.

Meanwhile, while Bell had an idea he was going to join the Jets around the NFL Combine, it sounds like a team besides New York and San Francisco continued to push for his services. Fowler notes that Raiders quarterback Derek Carr and wideout (and former Steelers teammate) Antonio Brown were trying to get the running back to join Oakland.

Fowler also tweets that Bell intended to return to the Steelers in Week 7 last season. However, the running back subsequently learned that he didn’t need to accrue a full season in order to reach free agency, a revelation that changed his plans. Had the running back returned, he would have played around 10 games for Pittsburgh.

Patriots, Steelers Interested in Golden Tate

March 14th, 2019 at 11:48am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Steelers and Patriots are both looking for receivers, and they might have their sights set on the same big name. Pittsburgh and New England both have interest in free agent Golden Tate, as reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

The Steelers were reportedly in on Tyrell Williams before he signed with the Raiders, and recently added Donte Moncrief while re-signing Eli Rogers. The Patriots are also sniffing around the available wideouts, bringing in Bruce Ellington and Maurice Harris for visits. The Steelers, of course, are looking to replace Antonio Brown while New England faces some uncertainty with their pass-catchers as well.

It’s anyone’s guess if Josh Gordon will be able to play next season, and Rob Gronkowski‘s status is still very much up in the air. Tate split his time between Detroit and Philadelphia last year after a trade deadline deal sent him from the Lions to the Eagles. He didn’t have a terrible season by any means, but he didn’t fit in quite as well as the Eagles had hoped after he joined the team.

In total, he caught 74 passes for 795 yards and four touchdowns. It was the first time he failed to crack 800 yards since the 2012 season, his first year as a starter. The ex-Seahawk is still only 30, and is one of the biggest names still on the market. The fact that he’s available after the first wave of free agency could suggest he isn’t getting the type of offers that he wants.

The Lions traded him because they didn’t want to pay him, and he’s surely seeking a massive pay day. A 1,000 yard receiver as recently as 2017, Tate would be a big addition for either team. He wouldn’t quite replace Brown, but he’d form an enviable one/two duo with JuJu Smith-Schuster in Pittsburgh.

Steelers To Re-Sign DT Dan McCullers

March 14th, 2019 at 10:52am CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers will re-sign defensive tackle Daniel McCullers to a two-year, $2.75MM deal, a source tells Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (on Twitter). With that, the Steelers will have Big Dan back for a sixth season with the team, and possibly a seventh.

McCullers doesn’t play a ton, but the team likes having him around. An old-fashioned run-stuffing nose tackle, McCullers checks in at 352 pounds. He played only around 10% of the defensive snaps last year, and had five tackles with one sack while clogging up the occasional running lane.

A Tennessee product, the Steelers took McCullers in the sixth round of the draft back in 2014. McCullers barely played last year, and his most meaningful role was in 2016, when he played 17.5% of the defensive snaps. It’s not a bad chunk of change for a player used so sparingly.

Steelers Re-Sign WR Eli Rogers

March 14th, 2019 at 8:40am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Steelers are keeping one of their own. Pittsburgh is re-signing receiver Eli Rogers, a source told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com (Twitter link).

Per Florio, it’s a one-year deal for Rogers. It’s the latest move the Steelers are making to try and help replace Antonio Brown. The team also signed former Colts and Jaguars receiver Donte Moncrief to a two-year deal earlier. This news comes after the Steelers’ failed pursuit of Tyrell Williams. Rogers was an undrafted free agent in 2015, and missed his entire rookie season with an injury.

He came out of nowhere and had a breakout season in 2016, catching 48 passes for 594 yards and three touchdowns in just 13 games. It was a promising debut, but he took a pretty big step backwards the next season when he had just 149 yards and 18 catches. Then in the playoffs, he suffered a torn ACL. The ACL took a long time to recover from, and Rogers didn’t end up making it back until Week 15 of last year.

He did get pretty involved in the offense at the end of the year, catching seven passes for 57 yards in Week 17, which could be a good sign for him moving forward. The Steelers will have JuJu Smith-Schuster as their undisputed number one receiver next year, but after him the situation is up in the air. Rogers, Moncrief, and second-year player James Washington will all be competing for targets behind Smith-Schuster, and any one of them could break out.

Steelers To Sign Donte Moncrief

March 14th, 2019 at 8:15am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Steelers are beginning the process of replacing Antonio Brown. Pittsburgh has agreed to terms with wide receiver Donte Moncreif, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Schefter reports that it’ll be a two-year deal for Moncrief, although we don’t have the terms yet. The Steelers pursued fellow receiver Tyrell Williams, but didn’t end up winning that bidding war, so they settled for Moncrief. JuJu Smith-Schuster will slide in as the team’s new number one receiver after the Brown trade, but Pittsburgh has been looking for ways to fill out the corp around him.

Moncrief comes to the Steelers from Jacksonville after spending last year with the Jaguars. He had spent the first four years of his career with the Colts. The Jets were apparently interested in signing Moncrief, so the Steelers weren’t alone in their pursuit. Last year, Moncrief reeled in 48 passes for 668 yards and three touchdowns.

It wasn’t a terrible season, but wasn’t his most productive either. In 2016 he caught seven touchdowns in just nine games and the year before that had 733 yards and six touchdowns. His one year deal with the Jaguars last cycle had a base salary of $7MM, and it’ll be interesting to see what the 2014 third round pick landed here.

Extra Points: WRs, Steelers, Edwards, Cook

March 13th, 2019 at 7:42pm CST by Rory Parks

Some assorted notes from around the NFL:

  • The Saints, Seahawks, and Patriots are continuing to monitor the wide receiver market, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (via Twitter). Golden Tate is the best receiver still unsigned, but there are a number of other notable names available. New Orleans is reportedly interested in bringing back Dez Bryant, and veterans like Michael Crabtree and Randall Cobb still have some value.
  • The Steelers are working to re-sign linebacker L.J. Fort, as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. Fort was primarily deployed on passing downs in 2018 and was an underrated part of Pittsburgh’s defense last season, racking up 48 tackles and a sack. Fowler notes that Fort has generated interest from other clubs.
  • Defensive lineman Mario Edwards is set to visit with the Saints tonight, tweets Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. The 25-year-old was claimed off waivers by the Giants in September after having spent the first three seasons of his career with the Raiders. The former second-rounder proceeded to play in 15 games for the Giants, compiling 14 tackles, two sacks, and one forced fumble.
  • The Raiders continue to monitor free agent tight end Jared Cook, writes Scott Bair of NBCSports Bay Area. The writer cautions that it’s “hard to imagine” the veteran returning, as he’s visited with the Saints and received interest from the Patriots. The 31-year-old started 14 of his 16 games last season, hauling in 68 receptions for 896 yards and six scores.
  • Trent Brown isn’t all that concerned about his role with the Raiders, tweets Bair. After playing left tackle for the Patriots in 2018, Brown said he’d be receptive to a switch to right tackle. As of right now, Kolton Miller is expected to start on the opposite side of the offensive line.

Raiders Notes: Brown, Bell, Williams, Joyner

March 13th, 2019 at 5:28pm CST by Ben Levine

The 49ers weren’t the only team to miss out on Le’Veon Bell. Vic Tafur of The Athletic writes that the Raiders made an offer to the star running back, and “there was some real buzz in the building” yesterday.

The reporter also notes that the Raiders thought they could land Bell if “money wasn’t the most important thing,” as the running back reportedly preferred to play for the Raiders. After missing out on Bell, the team also took a run at Mark Ingram, who ended up landing in Baltimore.

Bell ultimately agreed to a four-year, $52.5MM deal with the Jets, forcing the Raiders to look elsewhere for a running back. At the moment, the team is rostering three backs in DeAndre Washington, Chris Warren, and James Butler.

Let’s check out some more notes out of Oakland…

  • The Raiders weren’t even considering an Antonio Brown trade until the deal between the Steelers and Bills fell apart, general manager Mike Mayock told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com (Twitter link). The organization ultimately acquired the Pro Bowl wide receiver in exchange for a third- and fifth-round pick in this year’s draft.
  • The Raiders continued to show interest in wideout Tyrell Williams even after pulling off the Brown trade, according to Jason La Canfora (on Twitter). The team ended up agreeing to a four-year, $44MM deal ($22MM guaranteed) earlier today. La Canfora notes that several other teams pursued Williams, including the Ravens, Saints, Steelers, Jets. Many of those teams were offering contracts between $8MM and $9MM annually, with the 27-year-old ultimately receiving $11MM a season from the Raiders.
  • The Raiders are planning to rely on Lamarcus Joyner as their primary nickel cornerback, writes Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The 28-year-old has primarily played safety throughout his career, although he did play some cornerback early on his career. The team will occasionally deploy Joyner at safety, although Gehlken notes that the team could still add another player at the position. Joyner is set to sign a four years, $42MM deal with the Raiders.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/13/19

March 13th, 2019 at 4:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Wednesday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Cleveland Browns

Los Angeles Chargers

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/13/19

March 13th, 2019 at 4:05pm CST by Zachary Links

Here is the latest news involving restricted free agents and exclusive-rights free agents, with updates coming throughout the day:

ERFA

Tendered:

Non-tendered:

RFA

Tendered at second-round level: 

Tendered at original-round level:

Non-tendered: 

Contract Details: Smith, James, Wake

March 13th, 2019 at 2:11pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest details on deals from around the NFL:

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