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Steelers Extend HC Mike Tomlin

June 10th, 2024 at 10:13pm CST by Adam La Rose

Mike Tomlin‘s Steelers tenure will continue for the foreseeable future. The team announced on Monday that their Super Bowl-winning head coach has signed a three-year extension.

As a result of this move, the 52-year-old is under contract through the 2027 campaign. He enters the coming season as the league’s longest-tenured head coach, having been at the helm of the Steelers for the past 17 years. That stretch has yet to feature a losing season, although it also encompasses a notable drought for postseason success. Considering owner Art Rooney II‘s comments in January, however, this move comes as no surprise.

Tomlin’s future has faced questions recently, with speculation swirling in the winter about the possibility of taking a year off from coaching before returning to an NFL sideline. Not long after Pittsburgh’s wild-card elimination, though, Tomlin confirmed he would remain in place for 2024. Per tradition in his case, he will not enter a lame duck situation, instead moving forward with considerable term on his deal once again.

“Mike Tomlin’s leadership and commitment to the Steelers have been pivotal to our success during his first 17 years as head coach,” a statement from Rooney reads. “Extending his contract for three more years reflects our confidence in his ability to guide the team back to winning playoff games and championships, while continuing our tradition of success.”

The Steelers won the Super Bowl during Tomlin’s second year at the helm, returning to the title game two years later. The team has posted double-digit wins during the regular season seven times since then, but translating that into a deep playoff run has proven to be challenging. Pittsburgh last won a postseason contest in 2016, enduring a five-game losing streak which includes this year’s loss to the Bills.

The 2024 offseason has seen plenty of changes for the Steelers, including the arrival of a new offensive coordinator (Arthur Smith). Tomlin drew criticism for the length of Matt Canada’s tenure in that role, but Smith’s arrival is expected to produce an upgrade in rushing success. Pittsburgh’s offense will also feature new faces along the O-line and, of course, a much different looking quarterbacks room than 2023. How Tomin handles the playing time of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields will be a key 2024 storyline for the team.

Tomlin sits in a tie for 12th on the NFL’s all-time wins list with 173. If he remains in place through the length of this new pact, he will continue to climb the ranks in that regard while also remaining in Pittsburgh for 21 seasons. That would place him two years shy of Chuck Noll‘s all-time franchise record.

“I am appreciative for this contract extension and thankful for Art Rooney II for his support during my first 17 years in Pittsburgh,” Tomlin said in a statement. “We are continuing to work diligently to get back to where we belong – sustained playoff success with the ultimate goal of winning the franchise’s seventh Lombardi Trophy. I am very excited to get the 2024 season underway and provide our fans with a memorable year.”

Dolphins To Sign S Marcus Maye

June 10th, 2024 at 8:23pm CST by Ben Levine

Marcus Maye has found his next squad. The veteran safety is signing with the Dolphins, according to Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz.

Maye was cut by the Saints earlier this offseason, ending his two-year stint in New Orleans. At the time, we heard the defensive back was drawing interest from a handful of teams, including the Titans. However, it’s been quiet on the Maye front for about three months before today’s news. Schultz notes that Maye did indeed attract interest from “multiple” suitors. Ultimately, Maye opted for the Dolphins because he wants to be part of a hopeful “Super Bowl contender” in Miami.

The Saints gave Maye a three-year, $22.5MM contract in March 2022, but he only got into 17 games across two seasons with the organization. Injuries and multiple arrests impacted his stint in New Orleans. Maye’s three-game ban — levied midway through last season — stemmed from a DUI arrest while the DB was with the Jets, but the player was also arrested for aggravated assault with a firearm in fall 2022.

New Orleans ultimately decided to move on following a 2023 campaign where Maye was limited to seven games. While his counting stats were serviceable (including a pair of interceptions), Pro Football Focus graded him only 80th among 95 qualifying safeties. The site was much kinder with their 2022 assessment, grading Maye as the 26th-best safety.

The former second-round pick had five up-and-down seasons with the Jets to begin his career. Maye was a top-20 safety between 2018 and 2020, including that latter season where PFF ranked him fifth at his position. However, before he suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in 2021, Maye graded as one of the league’s worst safeties through six games.

Of course, the Dolphins won’t be nearly as dependent on Maye. The team brought in another former AFC East safety in Jordan Poyer, pairing the veteran with Jevon Holland in the starting lineup. The rest of the team’s depth at the position consists of Elijah Campbell, sixth-round rookie Patrick McMorris, and UDFAs Mark Perry and Jordan Colbert, meaning Maye should be in line for a role as a key backup.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/10/24

June 10th, 2024 at 7:42pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Detroit Lions

  • Waived: LB Steele Chambers

New York Giants

Seattle Seahawks

  • Waived/injured: NT Buddha Jones

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Brightwell was waived/injured by the Giants in May but ultimately reverted to IR. The former sixth-round pick struggled to carve out a role behind Saquon Barkley in New York. Brightwell’s tenure with the Giants will officially end with the RB having collected 256 yards from scrimmage.

Thompkins suffered a hamstring injury in late May that ultimately led to him getting waived/injured. As ESPN’s Jenna Laine notes, it’s about a two-week recovery timeline for the Grade 1 strain, meaning the wideout should be on the brink of full health.

Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times passed along a troubling wrinkle to the situation last week, noting that Thompkins’ release quickly followed public accusations of spousal abuse from his estranged wife. The woman, Maria Castilhos, posted pictures of injuries that she claims were sustained in February of 2023.

“First and foremost, Deven categorically denies the allegations levied against him by his estranged wife, Maria Castilhos,” attorney Brett Gallaway said in the statement. “Unfortunately, Deven and Maria have been going through a contentious divorce proceeding and child custody battle, and it appears that she thought it would help her case to release these false and defamatory videos.

“… We expect he will be fully exonerated after a review of the facts, background, and clear ulterior motive behind the release of these videos and fabricated assault allegations.”

Thompkins served as Tampa Bay’s primary returner in 2023, finishing with 16 kickoff returns (for 327 yards) and 25 punts (for 234 yards). The former UDFA had a limited role on offense, hauling in 17 catches for 83 yards and one touchdown. As Stroud notes, coach Todd Bowles said the “door is open” to Thompkins returning to the Buccaneers once he’s healthy, although the team has already replaced him on the roster with Cody Thompson.

Chargers Sign OT Joe Alt To Rookie Deal

June 10th, 2024 at 6:01pm CST by Ben Levine

The Chargers have officially locked in the fifth-overall pick. The team announced that they’ve signed first-round offensive tackle Joe Alt to his rookie contract.

A two-time first-team All-American, the 6-foot-8 Alt was widely considered the draft’s top offensive line prospect. The Notre Dame product was ultimately the second non-QB off the board (behind Marvin Harrison Jr.) when the Chargers selected him with the fifth-overall pick.

After playing left tackle in college, Alt is expected to slide to the right side of the line opposite Rashawn Slater. While Alt’s main priority will be protecting franchise QB Justin Herbert, the Chargers are also expected to lean more on the running game in 2024. Besides the team subtracting a pair of elite wideouts in Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, new head coach Jim Harbaugh added Greg Roman before reuniting the new OC with RBs Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins.

With this signing, the Chargers’ only remaining unsigned draft pick is second-round wideout Ladd McConkey. Otherwise, the team has completed deals with:

Steelers Sign Zach Frazier, Complete Rookie Signings

June 10th, 2024 at 5:46pm CST by Ben Levine

The Steelers have completed their draft pick signings. The team announced that they’ve signed second-round center Zach Frazier to his four-year rookie contract.

The West Virginia product got into 47 games during his collegiate career, including a 2023 campaign where he earned first-team All-Big 12 honors after not allowing a single sack. That performance helped put him firmly on the NFL map, and he was ultimately the second center off the board (behind Graham Barton) when he was selected at No. 51.

“They’re getting a hard worker who is going to give everything he has to the organization to win football games,” Frazier said in a team statement. “I couldn’t be more excited.”

The Steelers moved on from Mason Cole this offseason, opening a starting spot for Frazier. Considering the rookie’s versatility (he played both center and guard in college), the Steelers could shift Frazier around if necessary. The Steelers will also feature another rookie starting OL in first-round offensive tackle Troy Fautanu.

Today’s move completes the Steelers’ draft pick signings. The team’s entire draft class includes:

WR Pharoh Cooper Announces Retirement

June 10th, 2024 at 4:51pm CST by Adam La Rose

Pharoh Cooper did not play in 2023, and he will not pursue a comeback this summer. The veteran receiver/return specialist announced his retirement on Monday.

Cooper entered the league with the Rams in 2016, and he showed promise in the return game as a rookie. His follow-up campaign proved to be the best of his career on special teams, as he racked up 1,421 all-purpose yards while averaging 27.4 kick return yards. The former fourth-rounder earned a Pro Bowl nod along with first-team All-Pro honors that season.

The South Carolina product’s run with the Rams came to an end following an ankle injury in 2018. That marked the beginning of a span in which he bounced around the NFL while trying to remain a standout returner and carve out a role on offense. In the latter regard, his best season came in 2019 (243 yards, one touchdown on 25 catches) while splitting his time between the Cardinals and Bengals.

Cooper went on to spend the 2020 season in Carolina before joining the Giants the following season. His last game action came in 2022 when he returned to Arizona; in all three stops he saw sparse offensive usage while serving as the his team’s returner. For his career, Cooper racked up over 3,900 return yards and averaged 9.2 yards on punt returns and 23.6 yards on kick returns.

“Farewell football, I’m officially retiring from the NFL,” his retirement announcement reads in part. “I appreciate all the love and support I’ve received from my family, friends, and fans through out my career. Much love.” 

Cooper will hang up his cleats at the age of 29. A veteran of 76 combined regular and postseason games, he amassed roughly $4.77MM in career earnings. After a full season away from the game in 2023, he will turn his attention to his post-playing days.

Lions To Sign LB Ben Niemann

June 10th, 2024 at 12:06pm CST by Adam La Rose

Ben Niemann has found a new team for at least the near future. The veteran linebacker has agreed to a deal with the Lions, Justin Rogers of the Detroit News reports.

Niemann enjoyed a four-year run with the Chiefs to begin his career, logging 12 starts during that time. A Super Bowl winner in 2019, he played a rotational role on defense while proving to be a strong special teams presence. His third phase skillset has allowed him to remain in the league with stops in Arizona and Denver over the past two years.

The former UDFA had a career year with the Cardinals in 2022. Niemann started nine games that season, collecting a personal best 70 tackles along the way. He signed with the Titans last April but ultimately wound up on the wrong end of roster cutdowns at the end of training camp. That resulted in a Broncos stint featuring time on the practice squad and active roster.

Niemann made seven appearances in Denver last season, but he did not see any defensive playing time. His special teams snap share (69%) was a career high, though, and the Lions will no doubt envision a similar usage setup for him this year. The 29-year-old will be in place to compete for a roster spot over the course of training camp and the preseason this summer.

Detroit’s linebacking corps is largely intact compared to 2023, something which should limit Niemann’s path to a notable defensive role. Anthony Pittman departed in free agency, however, creating a vacancy in the special teams department for the Lions. Niemann will aim to fill that void on his latest new team.

CB Steven Nelson Announces Retirement

June 9th, 2024 at 9:53pm CST by Ely Allen

We see our second NFL player from the 2015 draft class announce his retirement today. After seeing Giants tight end Darren Waller announce his retirement at 31 years old earlier today, now Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 tells us that Texans cornerback Steven Nelson has also made the decision to hang up his cleats.

Originally a third-round pick out of Oregon State, Nelson played out his rookie contract with the Chiefs, becoming a full-time starter in his sophomore campaign across from Marcus Peters. While he didn’t record an interception that year, Nelson recorded a career-high 16 passes defensed. He landed on injured reserve in 2017, missing seven games due to what would be the only major injury of his playing career. In the final year of his rookie deal, Nelson put on a huge performance, intercepting four passes and breaking up 15.

Those contract year efforts landed Nelson a three-year, $25MM contract in Pittsburgh, where he would start across from Joe Haden on the Steelers defense. Nelson played decently in Pittsburgh, racking up three interceptions and 17 passes defensed in two years, but ultimately requested permission to seek a trade. When the Steelers couldn’t find an appropriate trade partner to take Nelson, the two parties mutually agreed to terminate his contract. He landed in Philadelphia on a one-year deal, starting across from Darius Slay. After putting up similar numbers (one interception, seven passes defensed), Nelson once again hit free agency.

Nelson ended up signing in Houston, where he’s spent the past two seasons. While his first season with the Texans didn’t see any sort of special production (one interception, seven passes defensed), Nelson saw the return of his early disruptive success in 2023. While starting across from Derek Stingley and leading the team in defensive snaps played in his age-30 season, Nelson tallied 4 interceptions and 12 passes defensed, trailing Stingley in each of those categories by only one. Nelson then came up huge in the team’s first playoff victory since 2019, intercepting Joe Flacco and following it up with an 82-yard return for a touchdown during Super Wild Card Weekend.

After one of the best seasons of his career and at the age of 31 years old, Nelson made it clear that he wanted to leave the game of football on his own terms. “Retirement: after thinking it over and having some talks with my family, I think it’s time for me to take a step back and spend more time with my family,” Nelson explained in a telephone interview.

“I’m extremely proud of what I was able to do in the game of football,” Nelson continued. “Coming from a small town without a lot of resources, having to go to junior college, making it out of there to go to Oregon State, which was across the country from my family, going through a lot of trials and tribulations to get to where I am today, and to be able to persevere and make it this far. I’m extremely proud of my legacy and my career. I think I’ll be remembered, mostly by my teammates…as a leader and somebody that not only tries to lead by words but through my actions. Being a true pro and doing everything the right way.”

Before his announcement, the Texans hoped to retain Nelson’s services in 2024. Additionally, the Raiders, Giants, Rams, Commanders, and Dolphins all reached out with prospective contract offers after his deal with Houston expired.

Instead, Nelson made the decision to step away from the game for the benefit of his family, who is expecting a newborn in the coming month. According to Wilson, Nelson refused to entirely shut the door on a possible return to the sport, but for right now, Nelson is intent on retiring from the NFL to be with his family.

Giants TE Darren Waller To Retire

June 9th, 2024 at 9:52pm CST by Adam La Rose

Throughout much of the offseason, the future of Darren Waller has been in question. The veteran tight end has been expected to retire for some time, though, and to little surprise that is the direction he has elected to move in.

Waller has informed the Giants he will hang up his cleats, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. The 31-year-old made it clear he would make a final decision no later than the break between mandatory minicamp and training camp. With the final aspect of New York’s offseason program set to take place over the coming days, the team can now move forward knowing Waller will not be in the fold.

The former Pro Bowler faced major expectations upon his arrival with the Giants, which came about last offseason via trade. He was attached to a three-year, $51MM pact, but much of that will now come off the books given this decision. Waller’s retirement will create roughly $11.6MM in cap space while incurring a dead money charge of just over $2.4MM in 2024 and ’25. Given the nature of the free agent market at this time of year, of course, the team will be hard-pressed to find a starting-caliber replacement.

Plenty of snaps will be available to 2022 fourth-rounder Daniel Bellinger once again. He served as New York’s starter as a rookie, but his role diminished last season with Waller in place. The Giants added Theo Johnson in the fourth round of this year’s draft, and he will aim to carve out at least a rotational place in the team’s offensive plans. Veterans Jack Stoll and Chris Manhertz are also in the picture at the tight end spot.

Waller began his career as a sixth-round pick in 2015. His Ravens tenure consisted of sparse usage and a one-year suspension in 2017 for a violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy. After joining the Raiders, however, he saw a major uptick in production. During the 2019 campaign, the Georgia Tech product posted 1,145 yards. He followed that up with a 107-1,196-9 statline one year later, cementing his status as one of the top pass-catching options at the position around the league. Hamstring injuries became a problem over the past three years, however.

Over time, the missed action increasingly became an issue for the Raiders, and Waller’s injuries were a key factor in the decision to find a trade partner. The Giants paid only a compensatory third-round pick to acquire him last March, but Waller’s tenure in the Big Apple will go down as a notable disappointment. Injury consideration was a central component of his decision-making process with respect to attempting at least one more year in the league, something which would have seen him receive as much as $12MM.

Instead, Waller will call it a career after eight seasons and nine years in the NFL. With over $42MM in career earnings, he will now turn his attention to his post-playing endeavors. The Giants, meanwhile, will prepare for training camp with added financial flexibility but a vacancy on the TE depth chart.

Browns Announce Several Front Office Moves

June 8th, 2024 at 1:53pm CST by Ely Allen

After not having seen a season with an 11-win total since 1994, the Browns have now seen it twice since 2020. As Cleveland continues to work towards staying in relevancy, owner Jimmy Haslam and general manager Andrew Berry continue to make adjustments to their front office.

In the operations department, the team saw a new hire and two promotions. Charles Adair comes in from Jacksonville after spending last year as a seasonal intern for the Jaguars. Adair will serve in Cleveland as coordinator, team logistics. Hunter Carson, previously an intern for the team logistics group, has been promoted to football operations assistant. She will reportedly work closely with the personnel department to assist with processes pertaining to player acquisition. Lastly in operations, Joy Tapajcik has been promoted to director of football operations & process after four seasons of working her way through roles all across the front office.

The player personnel department saw the most change in this week’s announcement. Firstly, we learned that the official job title for Chris Polian will be advisor to the general manager. After that, we saw the arrival of four new hires. Elisha Guidry, Tyler Habursky, and Sam Secrest join the team as scouting assistants, filling the roles vacated by some of the promotions listed below. Secrest moves into an in-house role with the Browns after serving as an external film analyst during this recent draft cycle. While Habursky previously served as a student defensive quality control coach at John Carroll, both he and Guidry will be making their NFL staff debuts after playing careers in college. Lastly, Jack Slatery joins the staff as a player personnel assistant after four years in the behavioral health industry.

The player personnel department also saw a number of promotions, as well. A long-time former linebacker in Cleveland, D’Qwell Jackson enters his second season in the front office after supporting player development last year. Jackson has been promoted in his second year to pro scout. He’s joined as a new pro scout by Greg Livingston and Alice Sullivan. They both earn the promotion after serving as scouting assistants in 2023. Livingston previously saw a coaching role at Northwestern and a recruiting role at Boston College. Sullivan will add the title of contract analyst to her new role, as well. Before joining the Browns, she worked as a football analyst for advance scout at LSU.

Additionally, Kathleen Wood is being promoted to scouting/personnel assessment & development after serving three of her four years with the team as the northeast area scout. She will contribute to day-to-day operations for personnel while continuing to contribute as a college road scout. Cyrus Wolford moves into Wood’s old role covering the northeast. He spent his first two seasons with the team as a scouting assistant after time in football operations at Temple. John Nussman is another former scouting assistant. After four years in that role, Nussman will be promoted to an NFS area scout, contributing to NFL combine and team draft initiatives. Lastly in personnel, Will Black has been promoted to scouting assistant, transitioning from a director of administration role with the Haslam Sports Group where he assisted team leadership with day-to-day operations.

Finally, the team saw a promotion in their analytics department, as well. Zach Zelinsky has been moved up into a manager role in football information systems. Currently entering his seventh season with the team, Zelinsky started with the Browns as a software developer in 2017 after working as an analytics intern for the Pittsburgh Pirates of the MLB.

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