The Official 2023-2024 Pittsburgh Steelers Thread

jack walsh13

Jack Walsh 13
BGOL Investor
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Mike Tomlin gets 1-year contract extension from Steelers

As Steelers players arrive for training camp with mattresses and pillows, it’s their coach who suddenly has a little more cushion.

The Steelers signed Mike Tomlin to a one-year contract extension, the team announced Thursday, keeping him under contract through the 2021 season. Financial terms were not disclosed, but the organization typically extends the head coach when he has two years remaining on his contract. This, though, is a relatively short extension for Tomlin, 47, as he enters his 13th season.

“I am very appreciative of this contract extension and opportunity and want to thank Art Rooney II and everyone in the organization for the support in my first 12 seasons,” Tomlin said in a statement via the team. “We have a goal of winning the organization’s seventh Super Bowl championship, and I couldn’t be more excited about this upcoming season.”

That’s one major question answered on the eve of training camp, following a season in which the Steelers missed the playoffs for the first time since 2013. Tomlin will address the media later Thursday afternoon, after the team’s annual conditioning test at Saint Vincent College.

“I am pleased to announce we have extended Mike Tomlin’s contract through the 2021 season,” Rooney said in the news release. “Mike is one of the most successful head coaches in the National Football League, and we are confident in his leadership to continue to lead our team as we pursue our goal of winning another championship.”

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jack walsh13

Jack Walsh 13
BGOL Investor
Javon Hargrave entering a money-making season with Steelers

Two of the Steelers’ highest-paid defenders are defensive linemen. Stephon Tuitt is the highest-paid player on the defense, pulling down more than $12 million a season. Cam Heyward makes more than $10 million a year.

Could Javon Hargrave join them later this summer?

Hargrave might not make as much as Tuitt and Heyward, but the Steelers are very much interested in signing him to a contract extension this summer. Even though he is a nose tackle by trade, Hargrave was third on the team in sacks last season with 6½. That was one more than Tuitt, who played 237 more snaps, and only 1½ fewer than Heyward, who played almost 400 more snaps.

Hargrave played 44 percent (456) of the defensive snaps last season. He served as the nose tackle in the base defense but added value to the defense with his ability to play defensive end when the Steelers played sub-packages.

Add it all up, and it means the Steelers are going to have to shell out some cash if they want to keep him beyond the 2019 season.

“Right now I’m just playing,” Hargrave said Friday afternoon before the first practice of training camp. “I think I’m a very valuable player. I just come out here, work hard and do all I can. When that time comes, I think [the contract] will take care of itself.”

The Steelers have two other defenders entering the final year of their contracts. Cornerback Joe Haden and safety Sean Davis also can become free agents after the season. Haden is considered priority No. 1, but don’t be surprised if Hargrave is No. 2 in the pecking order.

The Steelers like his skill set and his ability to play up and down the line.The problem is determining how much money to pay a player that doesn’t play “starter’s” snaps. Interior defensive linemen can wreck offensive game plans, and NFL teams pay top dollar to players that can do that. Aaron Donald, who played at Penn Hills and Pitt, is making $22.5 million a season after signing his record contract in the spring. Twelve other interior defensive linemen make $10 million or more per season.

Hargrave won’t command that kind of money, but he won’t come cheap either. It’s rare that a player can be an effective run-stopper as a nose and then bump out to the edge and be an effective rusher on passing downs.

Let the guesswork on his second contract begin. Gerald McCoy is coming off a six-sack season with Tampa Bay, and the Carolina Panthers are paying him $8 million this season after the Bucs released him. Tyrone Crawford of Dallas has 22 career sacks in seven seasons and has never had more than six sacks in a season, and he makes $9 million a year.

Even if Hargrave commands between $5 million and $7 million a year on his next contract, the Steelers — or another team — would have to commit to playing him more often.

Hargrave said Friday the plan is for him and other reserves to be more involved this season. Second-year defensive line coach Karl Dunbar likes to rotate his linemen, and indications are he’ll do it even more this season.

“I believe that’s how we’re going to go this year,” Hargrave said. “Not just with me, but with everyone getting their reps, all of us will have opportunities. We just have to make the most of them.”

Hargrave isn’t fretting over his contract situation. He’ll know in six weeks if he’ll be a free agent after the season. The Steelers don’t negotiate contracts once the regular season begins.

“If it comes, it comes,” he said. “If it doesn’t, I just have to be prepared. I’m not really stressing over it too much. I’m just preparing for the season and getting ready to have a big year.

“I have a lot of friends here. I love the city. I love the football here. It’s a good environment, and it’s really helped me grow, so of course I want to be here.”

We need him to have a monster year.

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jack walsh13

Jack Walsh 13
BGOL Investor
Steelers won't extend GM Kevin Colbert's contract this season

Unlike their head coach, the Steelers are not going to extend the contract of general manager Kevin Colbert this year and will wait until after the season to do so — if they do so.

Team president and owner Art Rooney II told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Friday that it was Colbert’s decision to wait until after the season to decide on his future with the team. Colbert’s contract with the Steelers expires after the 2020 draft.

“At this stage of the game, he’s really not looking to do any long-term planning,” Rooney said. “We talked and we agreed he’d rather wait till after the season to talk about the contract.”

In recent years, the Steelers have sometimes extended Colbert’s contract around the same time they have extended coach Mike Tomlin’s deal. They did his most recent contract extension in August 2017, giving him a two-year deal just weeks after the team extended Tomlin’s contract. In July 2015, the Steelers signed Colbert to an extension through the 2018 draft, shortly after extending Tomlin’s deal through the 2018 season.

“We never looked at those two as connected,” Rooney said. “There’s no connection between his timing or Mike’s timing. Really, with Kevin, we’ve kind of waited till we were at the end.”

Colbert, 62, joined the Steelers in 2000 and helped two coaches – Tomlin and Bill Cowher – build a pair of Super Bowl-winning teams. His son, Dan, is a regional scout with the Steelers.

Kevin is 62 and maybe ready to retire soon so I wouldn't look into this too much. His replacement is already in place so this doesn't mean much at all.

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jack walsh13

Jack Walsh 13
BGOL Investor
Ben Roethlisberger looks forward to building chemistry with new wideouts

Ben Roethlisberger has come to his 16th training camp with the Steelers feeling as good as he ever has, with a throwing arm he said is as strong as when he came into the league as the 11th overall selection in 2004.

He is coming off a season in which he led the NFL in attempts (675), completions (452) and passing yards (5,129) and signed another monster contract that he plans to honor until its completion in 2021.

But, on the first day of practice at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Roethlisberger acknowledged that things “will be different” without his star receiver, Antonio Brown, who was traded to the Oakland Raiders after a series of incidents of insubordinate and bizarre behavior in the offseason.

In the previous six seasons, Brown was the most productive receiver in any four-, five- or six-year period in league history.

“The things we did together were some things that no one has ever really done, Peyton [Manning] and Marvin [Harrison] maybe,” Roethlisberger said Friday after a morning walk-through practice. “In the last few years, it was pretty special. It’s going to be hard to make up for that.”

Roethlisberger has a phalanx of young receivers, including James Washington and rookie Diontae Johnson, along with veteran newcomer Donte Moncrief, that he thinks can pair with JuJu Smith-Schuster to help compensate for the loss of Brown.

“My game has always been that — spread the ball around, get it to guys who are open,” he said. “I think it will be a combination of a lot of guys. I’m really excited about all the guys.”

Then Roethlisberger added, “To me, I know what they can do. I know they can catch. I know they can play. I want to see who makes the least amount of mistakes, who can get a subtle hand signal, who can interpret even visual signals. That’s the fun part. That’s the part I enjoy.”

Roethlisberger didn’t get a lot of time to work with Johnson in the spring because the third-round draft choice from Toledo missed the first two weeks of OTAs with a hamstring injury. But he saw enough of him in minicamp to pronounce “there’s some excitement there for sure.”

That feeling was solidified when he saw the way Johnson performed in the run test on Thursday.

“Any young guy who comes in needs to work on conditioning,” Roethlisberger said. “No rookie ever comes in and is in great condition. I saw him run his conditioning test and he was barely breathing. I heard he was here a lot in the offseason and you can tell he really took that to heart to get in shape. I’ve seen that. The next thing I want to see is how he plays and reacts with pads on. A lot of us look good with shorts and T-shirts.”

Roethlisberger had never thrown for more than 5,000 yards in any season until last year. And the only time he attempted more than 600 passes and had more than 400 completions in a season was 2014, when he was 408 of 608 for 4,952 yards and 32 touchdowns. He also threw only nine interceptions in 2014, seven fewer than he did in 2018 when he led the NFL.

He was asked if he would like to throw less — or if he intends to throw less — in 2019.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to win,” Roethlisberger said. “I spoke to offense last night about that. I’m the type of guy — the guys on this field who have been around me know me — I’d rather throw for 5 yards and win than throw for 500 yards and lose. I’ll just take a win. Whatever we need to do to win football games, make the playoffs and try to win a Super Bowl, that’s what I’m up for.”

At age 37, Roethlisberger said he feels good enough to play three more years, which is when his new deal will expire. Roethlisberger signed a three-year, $80 million contract that included a $37.5 million signing bonus in April.

“I like to think my arm is just as strong,” Roethlisberger said. “I spent a lot of time working on my shoulders and back and things for throwing. I’d like to think my arm hasn’t dropped off. As you get older, you have to work on mobility. A lot of the type of stuff I’ve been working on is short-area, in-the-pocket type of movement. Physically, I feel as good as I have.”

I think the wideouts will be fine. James Washington is key.

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jack walsh13

Jack Walsh 13
BGOL Investor
Mason Rudolph looks real REAL good. As much as I wanna see the brother Dobbs be the back up I think Mason will push him out. He has a stronger arm and better accuracy.

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datboi

Rising Star
BGOL Investor
I’m here just for the signature pictures. Did you ever mention why your not an Eagles fan a 4 for 4 guy.
 

CurtDawg

Rising Star
Platinum Member
Side note:
I'm monitoring the enemy (Pittsburgh) to see how good/bad ya'll look
Because week #3 is..... 49ers vs Steelers
That game should be a major test to see if my team is for real or not

:hellyea::hellyea:
 

jack walsh13

Jack Walsh 13
BGOL Investor
Side note:
I'm monitoring the enemy (Pittsburgh) to see how good/bad ya'll look
Because week #3 is..... 49ers vs Steelers
That game should be a major test to see if my team is for real or not

:hellyea::hellyea:
I honestly think we may lose to you guys simply cause we play terrible on the west coast for some strange reason. At the very least if we win we'll have to come from behind in the 4th. :smh:

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