Pittsburgh Steelers Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

Steelers Interested In CB Brandon Flowers

March 9th, 2017 at 7:33pm CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers have had contact with representatives for cornerback Brandon Flowers, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. They won’t sign him right now, he adds, but they could circle back to him later on.

Flowers was cut loose by the Chargers earlier this week. So far, the Steelers are the first known team to have made contact with him.

The Chargers’ release of Flowers was expected as it saved $7MM against the 2017 cap. The four-year, $36.4MM deal signed in 2015 didn’t work out for San Diego, but he still could be a worthwhile contributor for Pittsburgh at a (much) cheaper rate.

Flowers’ best career season came in 2014, when he recorded 52 tackles, 10 passes defended, and three picks. In 2016, the 31-year-old only played in six games due to concussion issues. Flowers finished out the year with 28 tackles, five passes defended, and one interception.

After he was dropped by the Bolts, we ranked Flowers as one of the 15 best cornerbacks on the open market. In Pittsburgh, he’d join a defense which ranked a slightly above-average 12th in DVOA against the pass last year. Flowers would immediately become one of the Steelers’ two most accomplished corners, joining William Gay. The club’s other options at corner include Artie Burns, Ross Cockrell, Senquez Golson and Al-Hajj Shabazz.

Contract Details: Garcon, Baker, Klein, Jones

March 9th, 2017 at 6:59pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s take a look at some details of the free agent contracts signed today:

Chris Baker, DL (Buccaneers): Three years, $15.75MM. $9MM guaranteed. $1MM in sack incentives each season (Twitter link via Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post).
Jack Crawford, DL (Falcons): Three years, $10.3MM. $3.75MM in 2017 (Twitter link via Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com).
Pierre Garcon, WR (49ers): Two years, $23MM. $17MM guaranteed. Options for 2019 ($6MM), 2020 ($8.9MM), and 2021 ($9.6MM) (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of USA Today).
Landry Jones, QB (Steelers): Two years, $4.4MM. $600K signing bonus (Twitter link via Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com).
A.J. Klein, LB (Saints): Four years, $24MM. $4MM signing bonus. $9.4MM guaranteed. 2020 season will void Klein is on Saints roster on last day of 2019 league year (via Nick Underhill of the Advocate).
Jeff Locke, P (Colts): Two years, $3.45MM. $1.25MM guaranteed (Twitter links via Ben Goessling of ESPN.com and Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star).
Ryan Mallett, QB (Ravens): One year, $2MM. $1MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Pelissero).
Akeem Spence, DL (Lions): Three years, $9MM. $3.5MM guaranteed. $1MM available via escalators (Twitter link via Peliserro).
D.J. Swearinger, S (Redskins): Three years, $13.5MM. $9MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Kinkhabwala).

NFC Rumors: Romo, Baker, Jeffery, Eagles

March 9th, 2017 at 5:04pm CST by Zachary Links

Tony Romo was “never being waived” by the Cowboys, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). We presume the source means “cut” rather than “waived” since vested veterans cannot be waived in the offseason. Word on Wednesday was that the Cowboys would release Romo, allowing him to sign with another club. Then, on Thursday, it was reported that the Cowboys were expecting to trade the quarterback to the Broncos or Texans. For now, things remain in a holding pattern for Romo.

Here’s more from around the league on Day 1 of official free agency.

The Redskins did not end up making an offer to Chris Baker, who agreed to a deal with the Buccaneers, Dianna Russini of ESPN.com tweets. Baker joined DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon as higher-end free agents who left Washington this week.
Alshon Jeffery looks to be a believer in Carson Wentz. The sixth-year wideout turned out a turned down a multiyear deal with greater security from the Vikings to sign with the Eagles, Ian Rapoport tweets.
Torrey Smith‘s Eagles deal is for one year and $5MM, Tom Pelissero of USA Today reports (on Twitter), adding that the contract contains two option years. Both option years are worth $5MM apiece. Smith will collect a $500K bonus from what will be his third NFL employer.
Chance Warmack signed with the Eagles for one year and $1.51MM, per Pelissero (on Twitter). This looks like a value-re-establishing season for the former Titans first-rounder, who will receive a $500K signing bonus.
The Seahawks‘ Luke Joeckel deal is for one year and up to $8MM, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. The guaranteed money here isn’t known yet, but Joeckel could do well for himself after seeing seeing the Jaguars pass on his 2017 option in 2016 and then going on IR.
New Giants wide receiver Brandon Marshall said four teams were on his top tier in terms of giving him the best chance to win: the Giants, Patriots, Steelers and Seahawks, per Art Stapleton of The Record (on Twitter). Marshall has never made the playoffs in 11 seasons. The Giants made their first playoff berth in five years in 2016.

Sam Robinson contributed to this report.

Steelers Re-Sign QB Landry Jones

March 9th, 2017 at 4:48pm CST by Ben Levine

Landry Jones will continue to be Ben Roethlisberger‘s backup. The Steelers announced that they have signed the backup quarterback to a two-year deal.

The 2013 fourth-round pick didn’t take the field during his first two years in the league, but he saw action in 15 games (four starts) over the past two campaigns. Jones has completed 60.3-percent of his career passes for 1,071 yards, seven touchdowns, and six interceptions.

“He has a very good understanding of our offense,” coach Mike Tomlin said last season (via the Steelers website). “He is a good communicator. It’s part of the functions of being a backup quarterback, the talking of schematics and the seeing of what is on the field and the communicating of such. He has grown in a lot of ways in that area in the last several years.”

Earlier this offseason, general manager Kevin Colbert acknowledged that the team would like to keep Jones in Pittsburgh, but he added that the team could also look to bring in some competition behind Big Ben. There could be some pressure surrounding the team’s search for a future starter, as there were rumors surrounding a potential Roethlisberger retirement earlier this offseason.

Steelers Waive RB Karlos Williams

March 9th, 2017 at 4:38pm CST by Ben Levine

The Steelers have waived running back Karlos Williams, reports ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter). The former fifth-rounder never took the field for Pittsburgh during his one-year stint with the organization.

Williams joined the Steelers’ practice squad in October, but the running back was subsequently suspended 10 games for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Following his return, the organization inked him to a reserve/futures contract.

Williams played in 11 games with the Bills during his rookie campaign, including three starts. He ultimately ran for 517 yards and seven touchdowns on 93 carries (5.6-yard average), and he added another 11 receptions for 96 yards and two scores. The player’s pair of suspensions have certainly clouded his future in the league.

The Steelers are now rostering a pair of running backs in Le’Veon Bell and Fitzgerald Toussaint.

Bengals Pushing To Re-Sign Dre Kirkpatrick

March 8th, 2017 at 5:25pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bengals are attempting to re-sign free agent cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), who adds Cincinnati has put “strong money” on the table in an attempt to retain its top defensive back.

Kirkpatrick, a former first-round pick, has rounded into form over the past two seasons after barely playing during his first three NFL campaigns. After starting 29 games from 2015-16, Kirkpatrick has become the Bengals No. 1 corner, and losing him to free agency would represent a devastating blow to the club’s defense. Cincinnati has spent multiple first-round picks on corners in recent years, but neither Darqueze Dennard nor William Jackson has shown much yet. Veteran Adam Jones, meanwhile, could potentially be released following an offseason arrest.

Kirkpatrick, 27, won’t come cheap, as one report indicates his price tag could approach $11MM. The Titans and Steelers are also thought to be interested in his services, although Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes Pittsburgh probably won’t go above $10MM annually to steal away its division rival’s defender.

Lawrence Timmons To Visit Dolphins

March 8th, 2017 at 4:58pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Dolphins are looking to lock up their top linebacker, restricted free agent Kiko Alonso, but they’ll need to add outside help to the group even if they keep him in the fold. With that in mind, the Dolphins have interest in impending free agent Lawrence Timmons and will meet with him sometime after the new league year opens, reports Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com.

Timmons, 31 in May, has spent the first 10 years of his career with the Steelers, who would like to retain him. It appears he’ll test the open market, though, and could return to Florida, where he starred as a college player at Florida State. Timmons parlayed his Seminoles career into first-round status in 2007 and has since racked up six 100-tackle seasons – including five in a row since 2012 – to go with 35.5 sacks, 14 forced fumbles and 12 interceptions. He has also been eminently durable, having appeared in fewer than 16 regular-season games just once – during a 14-game 2014 – and hasn’t missed a start since 2010.

In his latest action in 2016, Timmons played 92.9 percent of the Steelers’ snaps and piled up 114 tackles, 2.5 sacks, two picks and a forced fumble, though Pro Football Focus wasn’t impressed with his work. The site placed him just 70th in overall performance among 87 qualified linebackers. Nevertheless, given his careerlong production and durability, Timmons won’t have difficulty landing a contract this offseason. PFR’s Dallas Robinson ranks him as the fifth-best linebacker in this year’s class of free agents.

No Progress For Steelers, Markus Wheaton

March 8th, 2017 at 12:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Steelers moved quickly to lock up the core members of its skill-position battery, one that again was ravaged by injuries come playoff time. But the team has not progressed much on a re-up for Markus Wheaton, one of the injured performers, and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets the wideout will likely hit the free agent market on Thursday.

Wheaton stands to join a host of complementary receivers on a crowded wideout market. The tier below the high-end talents includes pass-catchers like Robert Woods, Kendall Wright, Kamar Aiken and Victor Cruz, among others. PFR’s Zach Links rates Wheaton as the No. 8 best available wideout — moving up after the deals for Brandon Marshall and Pierre Garcon emerged. Wheaton falls into this category, having been the Steelers’ No. 2 wideout for multiple years alongside Antonio Brown.

A fifth-year target, Wheaton is coming off a forgettable contract year. Pittsburgh placed Wheaton on IR with a shoulder injury in November. He played in just three games last season, joining Ladarius Green, Martavis Bryant and ultimately Le’Veon Bell as projected Steelers starters who were unavailable for various reasons in the AFC championship game. Between 2014 and ’15, though, the former third-round pick averaged 696.5 yards. Wheaton averaged 17 yards per catch in 2015.

Steelers Likely To Work Phones During Free Agency

March 7th, 2017 at 10:25pm CST by Dallas Robinson

While the first day of the NFL’s legal tampering window has been relatively slow, things figure to heat up in the coming days as the new league year approaches. Two AFC North clubs stand to be in on the action, as the Browns and Steelers are both expected to be active when free agency begins, per Tony Grossi of ESPN.com (Twitter link) and Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com (Twitter link). Pittsburgh will be “working the phones” more than usual, per Kinkhabwala, but that doesn’t mean the usually conservative team will be targeting more free agents than is customary.

Steelers Not Interested In Darrelle Revis

March 7th, 2017 at 9:05pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Darrelle Revis is a Pennsylvania native who starred at the University of Pittsburgh before entering the NFL, but the next stop of his career won’t be at home. The Steelers are uninterested in the cornerback, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

The 31-year-old Revis has been connected this offseason to the city of Pittsburgh, not its football team, since a February altercation that led to four felony charges. Revis, who could receive punishment from both the legal system and the NFL prior to next season, will attend a hearing related to those charges March 15.

Two weeks after his off-field run-in, the Jets released Revis, though they announced that the decision came for on-field reasons. The seven-time Pro Bowler and four-time first-team All-Pro is coming off the worst year of his storied career, having yielded the highest quarterback rating among cornerbacks who were targeted 75-plus times. Unsurprisingly, then, his performance ranked a mediocre 66th among Pro Football Focus’ 112 qualified corners.

Given that Revis will collect $6MM from the Jets in 2017, it’s possible he’ll sit out next season if he doesn’t get offers worth at least $8MM, those familiar with the 10-year veteran tell Florio. There’s even a chance the future Hall of Famer will retire this offseason, Florio adds.

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