Steelers To Re-Sign Miles Killebrew
The Steelers are retaining a key special teamer. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Steelers are re-signing Miles Killebrew.
The Pro Bowler is signing a two-year deal, according to Fowler. The contract is worth $6.5MM.
The former fourth-round pick spent five seasons with the Lions before joining the Steelers in 2021. He hasn’t missed a game through his three seasons in Pittsburgh, collecting 43 total tackles.
After getting into only 57 defensive snaps through his first two seasons with the Steelers, Killebrew got into 111 defensive snaps in 2023. He also had a standout season on special teams, earning All-Pro honors. He ultimately finished this past season with 26 tackles. His 2023 highlights also included a safety and a blocked punt.
While Killebrew’s defensive role last season was mostly due to injuries, he could be in line for another look in 2024. The team moved on from Keanu Neal last week, leaving Minkah Fitzpatrick, Damontae Kazee, and Trenton Thompson as the only other experienced safeties on the roster.
Latest On Potential NFL Trade Deadline Change
It sounds like some NFL teams have made progress in their quest to push back the trade deadline. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, there were two recent bylaw proposals to move the trade deadline back from its current date of the Tuesday after Week 8.
[RELATED: Teams Proposing Pushing Trade Deadline From Week 8 To Week 10]
The Steelers proposed a bylaw that would see the deadline pushed back a week, which would make it the Tuesday after Week 9. The Browns, Lions, Jets, Eagles, and Commanders were looking to push it back even further, proposing the deadline fall on the Tuesday after Week 10.
The NFL moved the deadline to Week 8 back in 2012, but they didn’t make an adjustment when they added a week to their schedule in 2021. That’s led some GMs to propose pushing the deadline back and lining it up with other major sports’ trade deadlines.
While the hypothetical recently gained some traction, there were reportedly some GM and owners who questioned if the change even needed to be made. While Browns GM Andrew Berry previously expressed his belief that pushing the deadline would help improve the “competitive integrity” of the NFL, there was some fear that a deadline move could only incentivize tanking. Berry seemed to disagree with that notion, though, saying last month that a deadline change would only keep teams more competitive.
“We think as a league it makes sense to give teams the most flexibility as long as possible to have the best product down the stretch run of the playoffs,” Berry stated (h/t Spencer German of Browns Digest). “We wanted to make sure we maintained the competitive integrity of the season so you don’t get into player dumping late in the year.”
The next round of league meetings are set for March 24-27.
Steelers To Trade WR Diontae Johnson To Panthers For CB Donte Jackson
The Diontae Johnson trade rumors will indeed produce a deal, and for the second straight day, the Panthers are involved in a big trade. The Steelers are sending the veteran wide receiver to Carolina, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports.
One season remains on Johnson’s contract, with Schefter adding the Panthers will now pay the sixth-year receiver’s $3MM roster bonus due later this week. After five Steelers seasons, the shifty route runner will settle in as a Bryce Young weapon.
The full trade will involve cornerback Donte Jackson coming back to the Steelers, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports. Carolina will send Jackson and a sixth-round pick for Johnson and a seventh. The picks will come in 2024. The Steelers are sending No. 240 in this swap, with the Panthers moving No. 178 to Pittsburgh, per veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer. The No. 178 choice is originally a Cardinals selection.
[RELATED: Steelers To Sign QB Russell Wilson]
A report earlier this month indicated the Panthers would move on from Jackson, via trade or release; Carolina has found a trade partner. After rumblings of a Johnson deal surfaced as well, the two will end up being exchanged.
For the Panthers, this provides Young with a proven wide receiver. The Panthers were light here last season, contributing to the steep freefall. Johnson will now join Adam Thielen atop the Carolina aerial pecking order. As Thielen is going into his age-34 season, this trade will provide a player in his prime for Young to target.
Heading into his age-28 season, Johnson has not been the most consistent receiver. Drops have plagued the elusive target, whose effort level has also come into question in Pittsburgh. But Johnson will be playing for a big contract in 2024. The Steelers gave the Toledo alum a two-year, $36.7MM extension just before the 2022 season. That deal fell short of the market set by fellow 2019 Day 2 picks A.J. Brown, Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel and D.K. Metcalf, but Johnson’s production has checked in south of those standouts’. He has still shown a consistent ability to create separation, doing so almost entirely with limited QB play. Johnson’s presence will help the Panthers determine Young’s value as a pro.
Johnson totaled 1,161 yards in 2021, Ben Roethlisberger‘s final season, and exceeded 850 yards in 2020 and ’22. Last season, the Steelers’ Kenny Pickett–Mitchell Trubisky–Mason Rudolph platter struggled for the most part. Johnson also missed four games due to a hamstring injury, coming in with 717 receiving yards and five touchdowns — after he memorably failed to score in 2022.
This will leave the Steelers with George Pickens leading the way at receiver, though it should be expected the AFC North club will target another starter-caliber wideout in a deep draft at the position. Johnson is one of many Day 2 wideouts the modern Steelers have turned into long-term starters. Pittsburgh broke with its usual tradition of these players leaving during or after their rookie contracts by extending Johnson, but after trading Chase Claypool and then executing this swap — and then cutting Allen Robinson — Pittsburgh will need to give Pickett (or, more likely, Russell Wilson) more help.
The Panthers also gave Jackson a second contract, re-signing the boundary corner in 2022. He is due a $4MM roster bonus March 16; these teams are trading picks, players and bonus obligations. One year remains on Jackson’s pact, a three-year, $35.18MM deal signed after the expiration of his rookie contract.
The former second-rounder has spent his entire six-year career in Carolina, but he was due to count $15.72MM against the cap in 2024. The Steelers will have Jackson on their 2024 cap sheet at $10.5MM, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac.
Coming back from a 2022 Achilles tear, the 28-year-old corner also had a down 2023 in coverage. Jackson allowed three touchdowns as the nearest defender and surrendering an opposing passer rating of 107.7. Pro Football Focus graded Jackson just outside the top 60 at corner, though he has shown better form in the past. The Steelers, who released Patrick Peterson last week, will see if Jackson can become a fit opposite Joey Porter Jr.
Steelers, LB Patrick Queen Agree To Deal
One of the top defenders still on the market has found a new home. Linebacker Patrick Queen has agreed to a three-year, $41MM contract with the Steelers, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
Providing a breakdown of the deal, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network notes Queen will receive an $11.59MM signing bonus in addition to his guaranteed salary ($2.25MM) in 2024. The other years include respective roster bonuses of $6.67MM and $2.5M due in March of 2025 and ’26, making this essentially a year-to-year agreement.
The Ravens declined Queen’s fifth-round option last spring, setting up 2023 as his walk year. The former first-rounder continued his career progression last season, his first full one playing alongside All-Pro Roquan Smith. The latter received a record-breaking deal not long after Baltimore traded for him, something which signaled a Queen departure in free agency.
The 24-year-old profiled as the top inside linebacker available this offseason, and to no surprise he has managed an eight-figure-per-year accord on the open market. The $13.67MM annual average value of this pact checks in lower than what many figured a Queen deal would look like, however. The LSU alum will rank seventh in the NFL amongst inside linebackers in terms of AAV with this pact.
Pittsburgh is not traditionally known as a team willing to make big splashes in free agency, although in recent history that reputation has changed to a degree. GM Omar Khan was likely to authorize a large LB commitment this offseason given the state of the Steelers’ depth chart. Toward the end of the 2023 campaign in particular, the position was decimated by injuries.
A few additions were made at the LB spot last offseason, one in which failed first-rounder Devin Bush unsurprisingly departed in free agency. Cole Holcomb inked a three-year deal, but his debut Steelers campaign was cut short in November by a season-ending knee injury. His absence was compounded later that month when fellow newcomer Kwon Alexander suffered a torn Achilles. As those two veterans rehab, Queen will take on a central role in the Steelers’ defense.
Pittsburgh would welcome better health at the LB spot in 2024, something which should be expected given Queen’s versatility. The LSU alum has not missed a game in his career, one which has seen him develop with each passing year. Queen earned second-team All-Pro honors as well as a Pro Bowl nod last season after he recorded a career-high 133 tackles. Known as a strong blitzer, he has racked up 13.5 sacks in four seasons and he will look to continue that production in his new AFC North home.
Houston and Carolina emerged as potential Queen suitors once the negotiating window opened. The question of whether those teams would be willing to meet his asking price was raised, although that is now of course a moot point. Queen will face high expectations moving forward with his new team, while the Ravens will be tasked with finding an impact starter to pair with Smith.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/12/24
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Re-signed: WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: OT Hakeem Adeniji
- Re-signed: OL Michael Dunn
Dallas Cowboys
- Re-signed: LS Trent Sieg
Denver Broncos
- Re-signed: FB Michael Burton
Detroit Lions
- Re-signed: OL Dan Skipper
Green Bay Packers
- Re-signed: CB Corey Ballentine, TE Tyler Davis
Houston Texans
- Signed: LB Del’Shawn Phillips
Kansas City Chiefs
- Re-signed: S Deon Bush
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: LB William Kwenkeu
New England Patriots
- Re-signed: LB Christian Elliss, OL Tyrone Wheatley Jr.
Philadelphia Eagles
- Re-signed: LS Rick Lovato, P Braden Mann
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: P Cameron Johnston
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: TE Pharaoh Brown
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: OL Saahdiq Charles
Washington Commanders
- Signed: LS Tyler Ott
Derek Watt Announces Retirement
Derek Watt is calling it a career. The fullback announced on Instagram that he’s retiring from the NFL.
“It is with great honor and gratitude that I officially announce my retirement and the end to my career,” Watt wrote. “A career that ended up being about so much more than just the game that I love. The [seven] years with [two] great organizations, 110 career games, and lifelong friendships and memories that I’ve been fortunate enough to make have been nothing short of amazing.”
While he never hit the same career pinnacle as his brothers, J.J. Watt and T.J. Watt, Derek Watt still managed to put together a seven-year career. The former sixth-round pick spent the first four seasons of his career with the Chargers, garnering 47 touches in 64 games.
In 2020, he inked a three-year, $9.75MM deal to play alongside T.J. in Pittsburgh. Watt ended up getting into 46 games during his three seasons with the Steelers, including 34 over the past two years. He actually had a “career season” in 2022 from an offensive perspective, collecting 32 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns.
Watt also had a significant special teams role throughout his career, as he averaged more than 286 ST snaps per season. He finished his career with 61 tackles.
Steelers, Jags Interested In C Mitch Morse
The Steelers’ Mason Cole release made it fairly clear they will look for a new starting center. The Jaguars have not effectively replaced the retired Brandon Linder. Both AFC clubs are pursuing a recent cap casualty.
Mitch Morse made a trip to Pittsburgh to meet with the Steelers, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Joe Rutter. The Jaguars have also scheduled a visit with the recent Bills cut, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler. Morse spent the past five seasons as the Bills’ starting center, but the team released him amid a roster purge.
Cole worked as the Steelers’ starting center for the past two seasons, playing in every game in that span. The Jaguars have received equal durability from 2022 third-round pick Luke Fortner, who has made every start since joining the team. Pro Football Focus has graded Fortner as one of the NFL’s worst centers, slotting him 34th and 35th at the position, respectively, in 2022 and ’23.
The Jags and Steelers each have two veteran contracts on the books at guard. Pittsburgh added two midrange contracts to its cap sheet over the past two Marches, signing James Daniels and Isaac Seumalo. Jacksonville splurged for Brandon Scherff two years ago and recently re-signed 2023 trade pickup Ezra Cleveland. Both teams have QBs on rookie contracts, though the Jags have more money at tackle, with Cam Robinson on a $17MM-per-year contract. The Jags restructured Scherff’s contract earlier today; they are set to keep the Pro Bowler for a third season.
A former second-round Chiefs pick, Morse has made 126 career starts. The Mizzou alum did not miss a game last season, but the Bills viewed him as expendable as they attempt to create cap space in another pivotal offseason. PFF ranked Morse as the NFL’s No. 20 overall center last season. Morse signed two Bills contracts and will be looking for a fourth NFL accord.
Steelers May Trade WR Diontae Johnson?
It seems to be destined that Pittsburgh drafts and develops some incredible talent at wide receiver just to see them leave these days. Throughout their history, receivers like Mike Wallace, Plaxico Burress, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Santonio Holmes, Chase Claypool, and Emmanuel Sanders all play their way out of Pittsburgh some way or another after impressing over the course of their rookie deals. Even complementary receivers like Nate Washington, James Washington, Martavis Bryant, and Markus Wheaton show flashes during their time in Pittsburgh that earns them contracts elsewhere. It seems that Diontae Johnson may be next in line to join that list. 
According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the Steelers are reportedly “open to listening to trade offers” on their five-year veteran wideout. After playing out his rookie contract as a third-round pick out of Toledo, Johnson signed a two-year, $36.71MM extension. He played through the first year of that deal last season, meaning 2024 will be a contract year for the 27-year-old. Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline confirms Johnson could be available “if the price is right.”
In the final year of his contract, Johnson is due to receive $10MM of cash with a $7MM base salary and a $3MM roster bonus. With $5.83MM of his initial signing bonus being attributed to the 2024 season, he will represent a cap hit of $15.83MM. If the team were to find a trade partner, they would be able free up $10MM of that salary cap space, eating the $5.83MM they already paid him as dead money.
A down year in 2023 and only five touchdowns in the past two years may have soured the public on Johnson after a career year in 2021, but Johnson has still been consistent enough to place himself firmly in Pittsburgh’s history. His 4,363 receiving yards in black and yellow is good for ninth-most in the franchise’s storied history, surpassing all of the names listed above. Despite his recent scoring drought, his 25 career receiving touchdowns ranks 11th all-time for the Steelers.
There’s sure to be interest in Johnson around the league. His consistency has appeared in his availability over the years. Before missing four games this past season, Johnson had only missed two games in his career. His lowest receiving total of 680 yards came in his rookie season, and he’s shown that he can get into the endzone up to seven or eight times a year. Teams desperate for a WR1 or extremely interested in a strong WR2 will likely be reaching out to Pittsburgh for a price check.
As for the Steelers, if Johnson departs, it will be next man up, per usual. George Pickens seems to have taken the reins of the receiving corps with a stellar sophomore season. They’ve got some young, inexperienced depth in Calvin Austin and Dez Fitzpatrick, as well as some veteran reserve players like Marquez Callaway, Miles Boykin, and Denzel Mims. They will probably want to add to the room to support Pickens, though. While they may take a peek at free agency or trades, like they did last year with Allen Robinson, but they’re just as likely to stick to their usual modus operandi and find a new pass catcher in the draft.
Steelers To Release CB Patrick Peterson
Patrick Peterson‘s Steelers stay may end up being capped at one season. After cutting Keanu Neal on Thursday, the Steelers are moving on from the All-Decade defensive back.
Pittsburgh is cutting Peterson, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reports. This always loomed as a possibility due to the accomplished cornerback’s age and contract. Peterson signed a two-year, $14MM deal that came with less than $6MM guaranteed. The Steelers will pick up $6.85MM in cap savings by making this move.
[RELATED: Steelers Release WR Allen Robinson]
Coming to Pittsburgh after two seasons in Minnesota, Peterson played both corner and safety for his third NFL team. Injuries prompted the Steelers to try Peterson as a regular safety, and while it will be interesting to see if that is a consideration for the aging DB going forward, he appears to no longer be in the team’s plans. The Steelers will center their cornerback corps around 2023 second-round pick Joey Porter Jr. A younger complement to Porter is expected to arrive this offseason.
Peterson reached the 200-start plateau during his season in Pittsburgh, making 16 starts and playing in every game for the team. The former Cardinals star has displayed durability in his 30s, and he provided a Steelers team missing multiple pieces at safety some help as it crafted a late-season playoff push. Peterson intercepted two passes and broke up 11 more last season. Pro Football Focus still rated the ex-Cardinals and Vikings starter outside the top 80 among corners. Peterson allowed a 91.5 passer rating as the closest defender in coverage — up from his two Minnesota marks.
Peterson’s 200 starts rank seventh among corners in NFL history. Four of the players in front of him (Darrell Green, Ronde Barber, Champ Bailey, Ken Riley) are in the Hall of Fame; the eight-time Pro Bowler is likely to join them in Canton down the line.
The Steelers will need to come up with a new Porter supporting cast. Levi Wallace played out a two-year deal, and Chandon Sullivan and James Pierre are also unsigned. Peterson was set to earn $3.85MM in base salary and count $9.8MM against Pittsburgh’s 2024 cap. With Peterson’s deal moving off the books, the Steelers are set to hold more than $15MM in cap space. It is likely the AFC North team will create some more room ahead of free agency.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/8/24
Friday’s minor transactions from around the league:
Arizona Cardinals
- Re-signed: DE L.J. Collier
Buffalo Bills
- Re-signed: TE Quintin Morris
Chicago Bears
- Extended: WR Collin Johnson
- Signed: S Tarvarius Moore
Denver Broncos
- Re-signed: T Quinn Bailey
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Re-signed: DT Jeremiah Ledbetter
Minnesota Vikings
- Re-signed: TE Johnny Mundt
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Re-signed: NT Breiden Fehoko
Collier returns for a second chance in Arizona. After signing a one-year deal with the Cardinals almost a year ago, a biceps injury ended the 28-year-old’s season after only one start. He had impressed in camp and the preseason and will get another chance to do so in 2024.
Johnson was an exclusive rights free agent set to hit the open market next week. The Bears avoid tendering him by signing him to a new deal to remain in Chicago.
Bailey was set to be a restricted free agent but will no longer seek outside offer sheets after signing a new deal with Denver. He reportedly didn’t sign at the tender amount, agreeing to make $1.06MM next year.
Mundt came to Minnesota in 2022 with high hopes of expanding his game as a more complete tight end. With the Vikings, he’s upped his game as a receiver with 36 catches for 312 yards and two touchdowns. His head coach, Kevin O’Connell, calls him the NFL’s best TE3, and the team will pay him $2.5MM as a reward.