Pittsburgh Steelers: Aaron Rodgers' Salary for 2026 Could Be Final Hurdle to Clear
In 2025, Aaron Rodgers played for a reported $13.7 million in base salary and helped the Steelers win the AFC North.
Rodgers likely wants more money in 2026 to play for Pittsburgh again.
That was reportedly where things stood between the 42-year-old quarterback and the Steelers as he remained a free agent as of Monday morning. Rodgers was in Pittsburgh over the weekend, but he did not come to the team's facility, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Dulac reported that Rodgers could meet with Steelers officials this week if they can agree on contract terms with his agent, David Dunn. Meanwhile, Rodgers is seeking more than he made last season, according to former Pittsburgh quarterback Charlie Batch, who is a pregame television analyst for the team.
"This decision is coming down to money," Batch said via Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh. "The Steelers would like him to come back, yes. But it's not going to be at the $13 million number. I'm sure his representatives are wanting something closer to 30 [million]. You hope that somewhere you meet in the middle."
The Steelers placed an unrestricted free agent tender on Rodgers, ensuring they would receive a compensatory draft pick if he signed elsewhere before July 22. Rodgers could opt to retire, but new Head Coach Mike McCarthy coached Rodgers in Green Bay and they have remained in contact this offseason.
Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, and third-round pick Drew Allar are the quarterbacks on the Steelers' depth chart while the Rodgers saga plays out. He didn't sign last year until June, shortly before the start of mandatory minicamp.
In other Steelers news, kicker Chris Boswell has agreed to a four-year, $28 million extension that ties him with the Cowboys' Brandon Aubrey as the highest-paid kicker in the league, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Cleveland Browns: Todd Monken Sees Zay Flowers Traits in KC Concepcion
As Zay Flowers became a two-time Pro Bowl receiver with the Ravens, Todd Monken had a front-row seat. Now, the Ravens' former offensive coordinator is the Browns' head coach and sees similarities between Flowers and Browns rookie KC Concepcion, who was the 24th overall pick.
At Texas A&M last season, the 5-foot-11, 196-pound Concepcion caught 61 passes for 919 yards and nine touchdowns.
"There are some traits that are similar to [Flowers]," Monken said, via ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi. "I love when people spoke about KC, it reminded me of Zay in that, in terms of how he practiced, what he brings in every day. And if you're looking for that comparison, that I can compare, I believe he's going to bring that like Zay did."
Cleveland was the NFL's second-lowest scoring team in 2025 (16.4 points per game), ahead of only the Las Vegas Raiders (14.2). The Browns went offense with their first three picks, taking tackle Spencer Fano ninth overall, followed by Concepcion and second-round wide receiver Denzel Boston. They're hoping Monken can lead an offensive resurgence, and Concepcion is a major part of that plan. He averaged 7.4 yards after the catch last season.
"He's dynamic," General Manager Andrew Berry said. "He's an outstanding separator, really good with the ball in his hands. Honestly, probably the best punt returner in this class.
"I do think there are some similarities [to Flowers] in terms of movement skills, the twitch. ... I think the one thing that maybe gets a little bit lost is KC is a much bigger player than Zay, but I think there is some overlap in the characteristics. If we get a player who's comparable to Zay Flowers when we're sitting here from three years, we'll be elated."
Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow Reports, Gives Stamp of Approval to Offseason Defensive Moves
Franchise quarterback Joe Burrow reported to voluntary offseason workouts last week and likes what the Bengals have done this offseason, even though the focus was on defense.
After the defense struggled in recent years, the Bengals traded for Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, signed defensive end Boye Mafe and safety Bryan Cook, and drafted pass rusher Cashius Howell.
Those additions have made Burrow confident he's on the same page with Cincinnati's organization. He is eager for Cincinnati to re-emerge as a Super Bowl contender after missing the playoffs the past three seasons and believes the Bengals are headed in the right direction.
"I'm really excited about the moves we made this offseason," Burrow said in an interview with Vanity Fair, via Ben Baby of ESPN. "We need to get better, so it was exciting to see the initiative from everybody in the organization to realize that we're in this exciting stage.
"We're in our primes playing great football. Finding guys like Dexter and Bryan Cook and Boye to really solidify that defense so the young guys can also kind of rise up. We're really going to try to achieve what we want to achieve."
As the Bengals retool their defense, defensive back Dax Hill has expressed his desire to play exclusively at outside cornerback next season. Hill has played safety and began the 2025 season as a slot corner. However, he started outside for the final nine games and found his comfort zone.
"It was challenging at first, but now I'm kind of used to it," Hill said, via Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer. "[I'm] going on Year 5 and I don't want to waste a whole lot of time. Doing some introspection, time has already flown by. I want to make the most out of it, because there's not a whole lot of time left."
