Browns
The Browns made headlines when trading down from No. 2 overall to No. 5 in the 2025 NFL Draft, passing up on Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter in the process. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler cites an anonymous AFC executive who thinks it was good to grab DT Mason Graham and wonders if the trade will enable Cleveland to find their “quarterback of the future” in 2026.
“It’s hard to pass on Travis [Hunter] or Abdul [Carter] at 2, but you get a good young defensive tackle [in Mason Graham]. … That’s a position that’s really expensive now, so to get a rookie-scale player there is crucial,” the executive said. “And this is really about 2026. Can they get their quarterback of the future there? They are going to find out.”
Ravens
The Ravens will likely have to pay TE Isaiah Likely top-five tight end money in order to keep him in Baltimore, according to Jeff Zrebiec.
“They probably are going to have to, or at least come close,” Zrebiec wrote, via The Athletic. “The tight end market is only going to increase every offseason. When you sign these deals with ascending players, you have to bet on potential. You can’t just pay a player for what they have done. Your offer, in some ways, has to also reflect what they’re capable of doing. And I’ll say this: if they don’t pay Likely top-five tight end money, somebody else will and they’ll likely lose him in free agency.”
Zrebiec added that HC John Harbaugh likely isn’t facing job security issues at this point, unless the team fails to continue to get over the playoff hump.
“There are so many variables involved. I’ll say this: One of these years, just making the playoffs and maybe winning a game may not be enough for Bisciotti. If he thinks the team has plateaued with the current leadership and roster, he’s probably going to make/demand changes. But by now, we know how much he values stability.”
Steelers
There was some brief drama regarding veteran Steelers DL Cameron Heyward and his comments on QB Aaron Rodgers joining the team over the summer, yet now that Rodgers has signed his deal and hit the field, Heyward has seen that Rodgers is ready to roll.
“It just felt like he has bought in, and it worked out for the best,” Heyward said on “The Rich Eisen Show. “I know sometimes we live in a society where we want things now. But patience has a way of paying off. And now to see he’s a Pittsburgh Steeler, and just him walking through the locker room asking questions about how we do things. He’s bought in and that’s all I can ask for our quarterback. As a teammate, I’m excited to work with him.”
- The Steelers signed LB T.J. Watt to a three-year contract extension worth $123 million with $108 million fully guaranteed at signing, including a $40 million signing bonus. Watt’s salaries in 2025, 2026, and 2027 are fully guaranteed, and he is due to earn a $15 million roster bonus in the 2028 league year. (OTC)
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