Despite publicly stating that he has no plans to retire, Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward is still considering the option according to CBSSports.com NFL Insider Mike Freeman. Ward, who pleaded guilty Wednesday to reckless driving and no contest to a charge of failing to maintain lane as part of a plea deal in Georgia, has said he's willing to take a pay cut to stay with the Steelers and has expressed an interest in continuing his career. The Steelers have yet to make a decision on Ward but if they cut him loose it... [Read More]
In an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio on Wednesday, wideout Mike Wallace spoke candidly about possibly signing with a new team if the Steelers do not give him the franchise tag this offseason. Wallace is scheduled to be a restricted free agent and will at least receive a first-round tender offer from the Steelers, which means a team willing to part with a first-round pick can sign him to an offer sheet. When asked if he would consider signing with the 49ers or Patriots, two teams with late first-round picks and a... [Read More]
Last July, Steelers receiver Hines Ward was arrested on a DUI charge, an incident that stunned CBSSports.com’s Mike Freeman* because he seems like the exact opposite of the kind of guy who would get himself into that kind of trouble. Ward’s lawyer denied Ward was impaired by alcohol as he drove, and seven months later, Ward has cut a plea bargain deal with the DeKalb County (Ga.) Solicitor’s office, which has dropped the DUI charge. In exchange, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports, Ward pleaded guilty Wednesday to... [Read More]
Before new Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley was introduced last week, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, said he never spoke with Haley. On Monday, Roethlisberger told Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review nothing has changed on that front. "He still hasn't called yet," Roethlisberger said. According to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Roethlisberger and Haley have finally met, sat down and talked.
League sources have told NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora that there is "real concern" within the Steelers front office that they could lose WR Mike Wallace, scheduled to become a restricted free agent next month. Citing what he called "serious issues" with the salary cap, Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert has said the team would not re-sign any of its own free agents, including Wallace, before the start of free agency on March 13. The Steelers could place the highest free-agent tender on... [Read More]
The Pittsburgh Steelers have restructured the contract of right tackle Willie Colon, reports Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Signed to a five-year, $29 million contract last July, Colon was due a $4.5 million base salary with a cap number of $5.7 million in 2012. According to Bouchette, Colon's base salary has been reduced to the league minimum ($700,000) with the remaining $3.8 million converted to a signing bonus that will be prorated over the remaining four seasons. Colon's cap number for 2012 is now... [Read More]
The arranged marriage between Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and new offensive coordinator Todd Haley remains firmly in the awkward stage. Roethlisberger made it clear he never spoke with Haley before the coach was introduced by the Steelers last week. On Monday, Roethlisberger told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review nothing has changed on that front. "He still hasn't called yet," Roethlisberger said. According to the Tribune-Review, Roethlisberger's tone suggested he didn't plan on making the first move.... [Read More]
The Steelers' Marcus Gilbert is likely moving from right to left tackle this season, general manager Kevin Colbert told a Pittsburgh radio station per Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. Gilbert, the team's second-round pick last season, made 13 starts as a rookie and all were at right tackle. But the status of left tackle Max Starks is uncertain because he had ACL surgery last month and is an unrestricted free agent. "If we were to line up today, ultimately again it's the coach's decision, but my guess is Marcus Gilbert... [Read More]
Emmanuel Sanders was on ESPN Radio AM 970 Sunday morning, and confirmed he was told he would return kicks and punts for the Steelers in 2012. Sanders will replace AFC Pro Bowl WR/KR Antonio Brown, the only player in NFL history with 1,000 return and receiving yards in the same season. It's likely due to the larger role Brown will play in the team's offense, but at the same time, Sanders performed well on returns his rookie season, picking up 628 yards on 25 returns. Sanders added 60 yards on four punt returns in 2010.... [Read More]
ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that “someone in the league” has the odds of an NFL team trying to sign WR Mike Wallace away from the Pittsburgh Steelers at “50-50.” Schefter notes that the Steelers are roughly $11 million over the salary cap despite making cuts and renegotiating numerous players contracts so far. In the past, the highest tender for a restricted free agent required a team to give up both a first and third-round pick to sign him but the new CBA eliminated the third-round pick requirement. On top of that,... [Read More]
Art Rooney II, the son and grandson of Pro Football Hall of Fame NFL owners, reserves the right to continue his family tradition of running the Steelers with a "hands-on" approach. That does not mean he handpicked head coach Mike Tomlin's new offensive coordinator, Todd Haley. "I can`t say what people on the outside think, but (Tomlin) picks his staff," Rooney told the Tribune-Review. Fans not willing to buy those words should remember which two men spoke at the news conference at which Haley was... [Read More]
Lost in other news that Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert talked about in an interview Monday was his take on the perceived new role of team president Art Rooney II according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Many have called Rooney meddlesome after he did not renew the contract of offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, apparently against at least the initial wishes of coach Mike Tomlin. Colbert was asked pointedly if Rooney has taken a more activist role in football decisions recently. "Art Rooney... [Read More]
The agents for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and outside linebacker James Harrison said their clients are agreeable to restructuring their contracts before the start of the NFL's new year. The Steelers entered the offseason roughly $25 million over the salary cap. The Steelers have trimmed a little more than $14 million off that number by restructuring the contracts of linebackers LaMarr Woodley and Lawrence Timmons, and cornerback Ike Taylor. Harrison signed a six-year, $51.175 million contract in 2009.... [Read More]
The new collective bargaining agreement eliminated the "First- and Third-Round" restricted free agent tender, which could result in more offer sheets for Pro Bowl-caliber restricted free agents during the term of the new labor agreement. Two such players -- Houston Texans running back Arian Foster and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace -- are restricted free agents this off-season and could receive the franchise tag as their clubs attempt to put up walls around the player to restrict their... [Read More]
In the past year, Jerricho Cotchery has adopted two infant sons, scored the touchdown that forced overtime in a wild-card playoff game and dressed in his first professional uniform other than the Jets. Now, the receiver is hoping to sign a four- or five-year deal to play out his NFL career with one team. And he wants that team to be the Pittsburgh Steelers. After seven seasons with the Jets, Cotchery, wide receiver, rerouted to Pittsburgh on a one-year contract last summer. He will now be a free agent and said... [Read More]
