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Pittsburgh Steelers News & Rumors

Steelers Notes: Brown, Williams

August 26th, 2016 at 8:59pm CST by Zachary Links

Agent Drew Rosenhaus, in New Orleans as the Steelers prepared for tonight’s preseason game against the Saints, discussed wide receiver Antonio Brown‘s contract with Pittsburgh general manager Kevin Colbert, tweets Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Brown, who has two years left on his deal, has been requesting a new contract for some time, but the Steelers have been insistent that they won’t negotiate right now. Universally considered an elite pass-catcher, Brown is ranked 18th among wide receivers in terms of average annual compensation ($8.4MM/year).

  • Linebacker Vince Williams‘ new deal with the Steelers calls for him to earn $5MM in new money over the three-year span, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. His 2016 salary of $675K remains the same but he also gets a $1.5MM signing bonus with a $2MM salary in 2017 and 2018.

Latest On Harrison, Matthews, Peppers

August 25th, 2016 at 1:54pm CST by Zachary Links

This week, the NFL interviewed Packers linebackers Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers and Steelers linebacker James Harrison with regards to the allegations raised in the infamous Al Jazeera documentary. During those interviews, the league did not raise any new evidence or allegations, a source close to the situation tells Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. Clay Matthews/Julius Peppers (vertical)

After weeks of will they/won’t they talk, the three players consented to interviews with the league office under threat of suspension. Peyton Manning was the first player of the bunch to agree to an interview and free agent Mike Neal stands as the last straggler.

If the league has no further proof of anything tying these players to the Guyer Institute, then a statement clearing all three of them could be forthcoming.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Steelers’ Marcus Gilbert Restructures Deal

August 25th, 2016 at 10:20am CST by Zachary Links

Steelers right tackle Marcus Gilbert has restructured his contract to help give the team additional cap room. Gilbert’s salary for 2016 will dip from $3.95MM to $760K, as ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. Gilbert will likely get the leftover money in an alternate form, such as a signing bonus conversion. Marcus Gilbert

Gilbert’s concession actually marks the second time he has restructured his deal to help the team. Gilbert agreed to adjust his deal in February of 2015 shortly after inking his five-year, $30MM contract extension in August of 2014.

Last year, Gilbert was ranked as the 28th best offensive tackle in the NFL out of 77 qualified players, according to the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus. The 6’6″, 329 pound lineman started in all 16 regular season games for Pittsburgh.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Steelers To Pass On Keenan Lewis?

August 25th, 2016 at 8:37am CST by Zachary Links

On Wednesday, Keenan Lewis visited the Steelers and even took a tour through their locker room. Still, it doesn’t sound like we should expect Pittsburgh to sign the veteran cornerback. The Steelers did not like what they saw with regards to Lewis’ hip, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets. Lewis’ troublesome hip limited him to just six games in 2015. 

[RELATED: NFL To Interview James Harrison Today]

This week, a former teammate told one reporter that Lewis is still recovering from his hip injury and needs another six weeks before he can play football again. Apparently, Steelers coaches and medical personnel arrived at the same conclusion.

While the Steelers apparently have some reservations about inking Lewis, other clubs may be willing to sign him and give him the necessary time to get back to full health. In addition to the Steelers, the Lions, Jets, Cardinals, and an unidentified NFC South team have expressed interest in Lewis.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Keenan Lewis Still Injured?

August 24th, 2016 at 12:59pm CST by Zachary Links

Cornerback Keenan Lewis is drawing interest from several teams, but he might not be ready to help any of them in the first month of the season. A former teammate of the free agent claims that Lewis says he is still hurt and needs another six weeks to recover, Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review tweets. Keenan Lewis (vertical)

Lewis is currently in the midst of his Steelers visit and walked through the Pittsburgh locker room on Wednesday morning. In July, the veteran insisted that he would be ready for the season opener. At this point, that seems to be in question and former coach Sean Payton implied that Lewis’ health was a main factor in his release.

“He’s 52 weeks post-surgery…Just availability, ultimately. We wish him well,” Payton said. “I think ultimately, it was just trying to get him on the field. It’s just been, it seems like, a long time.”

So far, we know that the Steelers, Lions, Jets, Cardinals and an unidentified NFC South team have expressed interest in Lewis. It remains to be seen what kind of deal Lewis can fetch if he is out until early/mid-October.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Williams Extension Could Affect Lawrence Timmons

August 23rd, 2016 at 8:29pm CST by Zachary Links

NFL To Interview James Harrison On Thursday

August 23rd, 2016 at 6:45pm CST by Dallas Robinson

While a prior report indicated the NFL would meet with Steelers linebacker James Harrison next Tuesday regarding recent PED allegations, the league will instead come to Pittsburgh this Thursday, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. the NFL had always wanted to talk this week — and in fact set a August 25 deadline — but Harrison wanted to speak next week, per Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter links).James Harrison

Last week, the NFL stated that the four players involved in the PED scandal — Harrsion, Clay Matthews, Julius Peppers, and Mike Neal — would be required to submit to interviews by Thursday or face suspension. The NFL received written statements from the four players in question at the end of last month, and the NFLPA is of the opinion that those affadavits qualify as “cooperation.” The league disagrees, and is still requiring the individuals to partake in in-person interviews.

Harrison, for his part, has said he never denied any interview, but claimed he’d like for the meeting to be televised (and also referred to commissioner Roger Goodell as a “crook”). He, Matthews, and Peppers agreed to sit-downs, but Neal was of a different mind, at least originally. One report indicated that Neal had no intention of meeting with the NFL given that he’s considering retirement, but that notion was quickly disputed, and Neal will interview with the league.

Matthews and Peppers will meet with NFL officials in Green Bay tomorrow, while Neal is scheduled to sit down with the league in Chicago on Thursday.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Steelers Extend LB Vince Williams

August 23rd, 2016 at 5:13pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Steelers announced that they’ve reached a three-year extension with linebacker Vince Williams. The new deal will begin this season, meaning Williams is now locked up through the 2018 campaign.Vince Williams (Vertical)

[RELATED: CB Keenan Lewis to visit Steelers]

Williams, 26, started 11 games during his rookie season in 2013, but has since been relegated to a backup role — he’s appeared in all 32 contests over the past two years, but has started only two games during that time. Given the presence of Ryan Shazier and Lawrence Timmons at inside ‘backer, Williams doesn’t figure to see much action with Pittsburgh during the upcoming season, but that’s not to say he isn’t a valuable commodity.

Though he played only 192 defensive snaps in 2015, Willams saw time on 300 special teams plays, meaning he was on the field for more than two-thirds of the Steelers’ ST snaps. The former Florida State Seminole picked up 25 tackles a year ago, adding a half-sack and two fumble recoveries for good measure. And, as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets, Williams might boast the league’s best bio picture on NFL.com.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Four New Teams Interested In Keenan Lewis

August 23rd, 2016 at 11:23am CST by Zachary Links

The Lions, Jets, Cardinals and an unidentified NFC South team have made preliminary inquiries on Keenan Lewis, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Earlier today, we learned that at least six teams have shown interest in Lewis, including the Steelers who will be hosting Lewis on a visit. Keenan Lewis (vertical)

The Lions are quite young at cornerback with 25-year-olds Darius Slay and Nevin Lawson in starting roles. Behind them are Quandre Diggs (24), Alex Carter (22), Darrin Walls (28), and Crezdon Butler (29). The 30-year-old Lewis could bring some veteran experience to a group that lost Rashean Mathis to retirement in the offseason.

Lewis says that he is particularly intrigued by the possibility of joining the Jets or Cardinals (link):

“I wouldn’t mind playing with (Darrelle) Revis. Bruce Arians was also coaching with the Steelers when I was there. I wouldn’t mind playing with Patrick Peterson too. Those teams are only getting stronger. I just want to put myself in the best situation. I want to play two to three more years and my goal is to win a Super Bowl.”

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Ramon Foster Tells Players To Save Money For CBA Fight

August 23rd, 2016 at 10:02am CST by Dallas Robinson

Steelers player rep Ramon Foster is prepared for a tussle over the collective bargaining agreement in 2020 and says players should be prepared to sit out games, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. Because the league could be headed towards a strike or lockout, Foster is hoping players will save up now. “Hit them in the pocket,” said Foster of the league. “Money always talks.”

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