The Baltimore Ravens and quarterback Lamar Jackson appear to be in a standoff over his contract and a new free agent target has emerged for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Detroit Free Press: The Detroit Lions have released defensive lineman Michael Brockers in a salary cap-related move, adding to then number of potential players for the Steelers to sign at that position, where Larry Ogunjobi, Chris Wormley and Tyson Alualu are all set to hit free agency.
ESPN: Lamar Jackson wants a fully-guaranteed contact like the one the Cleveland Browns gave to Deshaun Watson last year, a five-year $230 million, but it doesn’t seem likely that Baltimore will match that offer.
“Just because the Browns were desperate doesn’t mean that the Ravens are,” one high-ranking NFL executive said. “They are a stable franchise. They aren’t about to jump at something just because Cleveland did it.”
The Ravens are expected to place the franchise tag on Jackson, and could trade him if they can’t reach a deal on a long-term extension. It’s unclear if Jackson would play under the franchise tag if the Ravens go down that road.
Not Just Football: One person that’s no fan of the franchise tag is Steelers defensive captain Cam Heyward, as he broke down on the latest episode of his podcast.
“I hate the franchise tag”, Heyward said. “You put a guy on a one-year contract and if he gets hurt, he’s screwed. Why is it even allowed for a guy who played at the top of his game, he’s only guaranteed one contract?”
| [bet-promo id=”32451″ ] |
AROUND THE NETWORK
Pittsburgh Sports Now: Pitt DE Deslin Alexandre was named the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year.
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The Penguins hit rock bottom with a 7-2 thrashing by the Edmonton Oilers marking their fourth consecutive loss.
West Virginia Sports Now: WVU has opened as an early 1-point favorite for the Backyard Brawl against Pitt this fall.
Nittany Sports Now: Jalen Pickett once again powered Penn State as the Lions upset Ohio State, 75-71.
Pittsburgh Baseball Now: Like always, there’s optimism around Pirates spring training.