Steelers Daily News & Links: Watt Near Top of 2024 DPOY Odds, No Brazil Game for Steelers?

Steelers Daily News & Links: Your daily stop for all of the news and links from the Pittsburgh Steelers, NFL and around the Sports Now Group.

🏈 Joe Starkey of 93.7 The Fan thinks it’s a joke that the Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t retired Terry Bradshaw’s number. No one has worn No. 12 since Bradshaw retired after the 1983 season, but it’s not officially retired.

“The fact that Terry Bradshaw’s jersey is not retired is a franchise embarrassment,” Starkey said. “I don’t care what his relationship was like when he left the Steelers, I don’t care about anything he’s ever said or done. There’s no other market in America, no other football city in America where a quarterback who was 4-0 in the Super Bowl, with back-to-back Super Bowl MVPs wouldn’t have his jersey retired, it’s a joke.”

🏈 Pro Football Focus has the Steelers selecting Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson at 20th overall and Clemson linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. in the third round in their mock draft simulator. In addition, PFF has the Steelers trading a second-round pick and a fifth-round pick in 2025 to Chicago for Justin Fields.

Here come the Steelershttps://t.co/YXqHIJgQnR pic.twitter.com/zYhFsu0dsf

— PFF (@PFF) February 19, 2024

🏈 T.J. Watt has the second-highest odds (+650) to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2024, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons is the favorite at +500.

🏈 Longtime NFL insider Peter King mentioned in his Football Morning in America column that he’s “feeling good about Cleveland-Philadelphia in Brazil on the evening of Friday, Sept. 6.” The Steelers are a possible opponent for the Eagles’ game in Brazil in Week 1.

🏈 Mark Kaboly of The Athletic thinks the Steelers have the resources and finances to make a big splash in free agency if they really wanted to.

“They can create as much money as they need. … There’s always a way to manipulate the salary cap and get who you want,” Kaboly said on 93.7 The Fan.

🏈 Kenny Pickett’s average length of touchdown passes (air yards) in 2023 was 17.2, the third-highest in the league among quarterbacks with a minimum of five touchdown passes, according to Warren Sharp of Sharp Football.

🏈 The Chicago Bears received multiple trade inquiries regarding quarterback Justin Fields at the Senior Bowl, per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. The Bears were not shopping Fields, but the conversations helped them understand what they could get in a potential trade.

🏈 Actor and Pittsburgh native Joe Manganiello weighed in on the Steelers’ quarterback situation and giant question marks this offseason during an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show. Manganiello is glad that Matt Canada’s predictable offense gone and is looking forward to the Arthur Smith era.

“I think it was just a predictable offense. We can all call it from the couch what was going to happen,”  Manganiello said about Canada’s offense. “I think a lot of the issue(s) with the team over the last decade or so is the lack of head coaching candidates or potential head coaching candidates as coordinators. There’s no coaching tree. I just think take the burden off of you. We did really well when we had Dick LeBeau. You talk about Bruce Arians, Ken Whisenhunt, you get guys in there who are potential head coaching candidates somewhere else. … I like the hire of Arthur Smith, I think that’s pointing up.”

Pittsburgh's QB of the future will be a giant question mark all offseason — die-hard #Steelers fan @joemanganiello weighs in:#NFL #HereWeGo pic.twitter.com/LylhYNTO1U

— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) February 19, 2024

🎥 Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was on the Rich Eisen Show on Monday. Dulac discussed his report that the Steelers are not interested in bringing in a quarterback who wants to be a starter.

💻 @gerrydulac

Should the #Steelers go outside the building for their starting QB in 2024? Would Justin Fields be a major upgrade?#NFL #HereWeGo pic.twitter.com/yrQqDadTiw

— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) February 19, 2024

NEWS FROM AROUND THE SPORTS NOW NETWORK

Pittsburgh Hockey Now:  The Pittsburgh Penguins offensive numbers are adding up to a sour season.

Pittsburgh Baseball Now: Luis Ortiz is making a strong first impression in the battle for a Pittsburgh Pirates rotation spot.

Pittsburgh Sports Now: Pitt’s Blake Hinson is the ACC player of the week, among a handful of other accolades after his 41-point game against Louisville.

West Virginia Sports Now: West Virginia basketball is now in last place in the Big 12.

Nittany Sports Now: Penn State wrestling earned another win over Nebraska.

Pittsburgh Soccer Now: The Pittsburgh Riverhounds lost to West Virginia, 2-0, in a preseason match.