Category: NFL

First-place Steelers visit rival Browns on Thursday night with teams at opposite ends of AFC North

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt is introduced prior to an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

By The Associated Press undefined
The Steelers and Browns will renew their rivalry Thursday night sitting at opposite ends of the AFC North. After navigating through some quarterback uncertainty, Pittsburgh is a surprising 8-2 while Cleveland is a dreary and disappointing 2-8. The Steelers are coming off a gritty win at home over the Baltimore Ravens and can’t afford a letdown against the Browns, whose playoff hopes are gone and may be headed for another massive overhaul. Coach Kevin Stefanski could use a big win to alleviate any concern that he has lost his team.

Pittsburgh (8-2) at Cleveland (2-8)
Thursday, 8 p.m. EST, Amazon Prime.
BetMGM NFL Odds: Steelers by 3 1/2.
Against the spread: Steelers 8-2; Browns 3-7.
Series record: Steelers lead 79-62-1.
Last meeting: Browns beat Steelers 13-10 on Nov. 19, 2023, in Cleveland.
Last week: Steelers beat Ravens 18-16; Browns lost to Saints 35-14.
Steelers offense: overall (19), rush (8), pass (28), scoring (14).
Steelers defense: overall (8), rush (4), pass (19), scoring (2).
Browns offense: overall (27), rush (29), pass (20), scoring (31).
Browns defense: overall (19), rush (24), pass (17), scoring (24).
Turnover differential: Steelers plus-11; Browns minus-5.
Steelers player to watch
WR George Pickens. Perhaps no player has benefitted more from QB Russell Wilson’s arrival in the starting lineup than Pickens. The 6-foot-3 third-year wideout has become Wilson’s go-to in almost every situation. Pickens had a season high in targets (12) and receptions (eight) last week against the Ravens and his 48 catches on the season are more than the next four receivers on the depth chart combined (35).
Browns player to watch
RB Nick Chubb. He’ll face the Steelers for the first time since suffering a gruesome knee injury against them last season. Chubb’s inspiring comeback has been one of the only positives this season for the Browns. In his fourth game back, Chubb gained 50 yards last week but was only on the field for 22 plays as the team continues to manage his workload following his second knee reconstruction.
Key matchup
Steelers LB/edge rusher T.J. Watt versus Browns RT Jack Conklin. Watt is having another Watt-like season — 7 1/2 sacks, four forced fumbles, two recoveries and 12 tackles for loss through 10 games. Pittsburgh moves Watt from side to side but he’ll primarily be lined up against Conklin, who will likely need some help to keep QB Jameis Winston upright.
Key injuries
Steelers: OLB Alex Highsmith will miss his second straight game with an ankle injury. Nick Herbig started in Highsmith’s place against Baltimore on Sunday and forced a fumble on the game’s opening series.
Browns: DE Myles Garrett (hip) missed practice on Tuesday but is expected to play. … Starting LT Dawand Jones broke his leg last week and is done for the season. His loss is further complicated by Jedrick Wills Jr. (knee), who sat out last week and will also miss Thursday’s game. Germain Ifedi will start for the Browns.
Series notes
The heated rivalry has been more balanced in recent years after being dominated by the Steelers for most of two decades. … Pittsburgh won 12 straight, 17 of 18 and 25 of 28 from 2000-14. … The Steelers are just 1-4-1 in their past six visits to Cleveland, losing twice on Thursday night. … The Browns have won eight straight home games on Thursdays. … Overall, Cleveland has won six in a row on Thursday night.
Stats and stuff
The Steelers have won five straight, the past four with Wilson taking over after missing the first six games with a calf injury. … Pittsburgh is 0-3 on the road on Thursday nights against the Browns, including losses in 2019 and 2022. … The Steelers are 67-39-4 all time against QBs taken No. 1 overall in the draft as Winston was in 2015 by Tampa in 2015. … Pittsburgh needs just one victory or tie in its last eight games to assure the franchise of its 21st straight non-losing season, the past 18 under coach Mike Tomlin. … Watt has thrived against the Browns. Watt has 17 sacks against Cleveland in his career, tied for the most against any Pittsburgh opponent (Baltimore). … Pittsburgh K Chris Boswell is 29 of 30 on the season and provided all of the Steelers’ points in wins over Atlanta and Baltimore, games in which Boswell made all six of his field-goal attempts. Pittsburgh is 2-0 this season when the offense doesn’t score a touchdown. The rest of the NFL is 2-13 in such games. … One of the reason’s Boswell has been so busy is that Pittsburgh’s offense has sputtered in the red zone. The Steelers have turned just 16 of their 36 trips inside the opponent’s 20 into touchdowns, that’s the third-lowest touchdown rate (44.4 percent) in the league. … Pittsburgh’s defense is among the league’s best, particularly after halftime. The Steelers are allowing just 6.4 points in the second half, tops in the NFL. … Cleveland begins a critical stretch with coach Kevin Stefanski’s future in doubt despite winning the AP Coach of the Year honor last season. … Winston is coming off his best game with the Browns, throwing for 395 yards and two TDs in his third start of 2024. … This will be Winston’s first career game against the Steelers, who were the only NFL team he had not faced. … Chubb has 717 yards rushing and three TDs in 10 games against the Steelers. … There’s a rivalry within the rivalry between Watt and Garrett, the reigning AP Defensive Player of the Year and the 2021 winner. When Garrett won the award, Watt felt slighted and posted “Nothing I’m not used to” on social media. Watt had more sacks (19) than Garrett (14) last season. … Browns WR Jerry Jeudy had six catches last week for 142 yards, including an 89-yard TD. … CB Denzel Ward finally got his first interception — and Cleveland’s second all season — last week despite playing hurt. Ward leads the league with 17 passes defensed. …. Normally reliable K Dustin Hopkins missed three field goals against the Saints. He’s just 4 of 8 on kicks of at least 50 yards after making all eight attempts from 50 and beyond last year.
Fantasy tip
While Pickens has developed nice chemistry with Wilson, he’ll likely be matched up against Ward, who is playing as well as any corner in the league. Also, the weather forecast of cold, wind and maybe snow could make passing a challenge. A better play might be to go with Steelers RB Najee Harris, who has run for a career-best 493 yards and four TDs against the Browns.
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Boswell kicks 6 field goals and the Steelers bottle up Lamar Jackson in 18-16 win over the Ravens

Nov 17, 2024 6:21 PM

By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Chris Boswell tied a franchise record with six field goals and the Pittsburgh Steelers limited Lamar Jackson and the NFL’s top-ranked offense in an 18-16 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers (8-2) won their fifth straight behind Boswell and a defense that never let Jackson, Derrick Henry or the rest of the offense get into a rhythm, opening up a little breathing room atop the AFC North. The Ravens were held to season lows in points and yards and while turning it over three times to fall to 7-4.

Steelers add depth at the trade deadline, acquiring WR Mike Williams and LB Preston Smith

New York Jets wide receiver Mike Williams (18) pulls in a pass against Pittsburgh Steelers safety DeShon Elliott (25) in the second half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers might be in first place in the AFC North.
They’re hardly coasting.
Pittsburgh added wide receiver Mike Williams and outside linebacker Preston Smith at the trade deadline on Tuesday, giving the club veteran depth at two positions of need as the stretch run looms.
The Steelers sent a fifth-round pick to the New York Jets for Williams and a seventh-round selection to Green Bay for Smith.
Pittsburgh (6-2) is coming off its bye week atop the AFC North, but begins a difficult second half of the season on Sunday at surprising NFC East-leading Washington (7-2).
Acquiring Williams gives the Steelers a proven outside threat to put opposite George Pickens. Pittsburgh is talented but thin at outside linebacker. T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith are perhaps the best tandem in the league. But backup Nick Herbig has been slowed by a hamstring injury, though coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday there’s a chance Herbig could be available against the Commanders.
The Steelers have been searching for a big target to complement Pickens since trading Diontae Johnson to Carolina last spring. They flirted with but couldn’t land Brandon Aiyuk — who opted to re-sign with San Francisco — over the summer and watched Davante Adams (Jets) and DeAndre Hopkins (Chiefs) go elsewhere in the AFC.
Williams, who signed a one-year, $10 million contract with New York in the offseason as a free agent, had just 12 catches for 166 yards in nine games with the Jets. He had only a 6-yard reception on just two targets in his past two games.
The 6-foot-4 Williams spent his first seven NFL seasons with the Chargers, for whom he caught 309 passes for 4,806 yards and 31 touchdowns. He tore the ACL in his right knee in Week 3 last year and missed the rest of the season. The Jets brought Williams along slowly throughout the offseason and in training camp, but he never seemed to click with Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers when he got onto the field.
Williams comes to a team that has seen an uptick in the passing game since Russell Wilson returned from a calf injury that forced him to miss Pittsburgh’s first six games. While Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin III have had their moments since Wilson was reinserted into the lineup, Williams’ size gives the Steelers another big body to use in the red zone alongside the 6-3 Pickens and 6-5 tight end Pat Freiermuth.
Tomlin made it a point to praise the work of his wide receiver group as a whole shortly before adding Williams.
“I just feel like we have a group that’s hardworking and capable and can’t wait to show the football world those capabilities,” he said. “And every time we step into a stadium, they get an opportunity to do so. And you (have) seen some examples of it already.”
Just not enough for the Steelers to seek an upgrade as the franchise tries to end a playoff victory drought that stretches to the 2016 AFC championship game.
Pittsburgh has been uncharacteristically aggressive in trying to revamp its offense over the past year, jettisoning quarterbacks Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph while adding Wilson and Justin Fields.
The results have been solid if not always spectacular so far. The Steelers are a respectable 13th in scoring after finishing 28th a year ago.
Still, significant challenges remain. Pittsburgh will play all three of its AFC North rivals twice over the final nine weeks to go with games against Washington, Philadelphia and Kansas City.
Tomlin acknowledged the club was active in the trade market, calling it prudent for a team that wants to be a “world championship outfit.”
Pittsburgh’s defense is among the league’s best — the Steelers are second in points allowed and ninth in yards allowed — but the pass rush isn’t quite as disruptive as it has been in recent years, due in part to opponents making it a point to get the ball out quicker.
Watt has 6 1/2 of Pittsburgh’s 19 sacks, numbers that are a little off the pace for both in recent years, though Highsmith missed three games with a groin injury and Herbig hasn’t played since injuring his hamstring on Oct. 6 against Dallas.
Smith has seen a dip in playing time in his 10th season after the Packers switched to a 4-3 defense. The 31-year-old has 2 1/2 sacks and six tackles for Green Bay, and played just 36% of the snaps against Detroit on Sunday. Smith has been productive throughout his career with the Commanders and the Packers, getting 68 1/2 sacks in 155 games.
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AP Pro Football writer Dennis Waszak Jr. in New York and AP Sports Writer Steve Megargee in Milwaukee contributed to this report.
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Mike Tomlin Isn’t Settling for Merely Being Good During the Steelers’ 6-2 Start. Neither is His Team

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) throws a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mike Tomlin could have played it safe. Could have stuck with Justin Fields. Could have settled for the weekly rock fights that have been the Pittsburgh Steelers ‘ trademark for a half-decade and counting.
The NFL’s longest-tenured coach, however, knew he hadn’t seen enough. Not from Fields or the rest of the offense, either.
So Tomlin pulled Fields aside a few days after a relatively easy 19-point win over Las Vegas on Oct. 13 that boosted Pittsburgh’s record to 4-2 and told Fields it was time to see if Russell Wilson, now fully recovered from a calf injury, could still cook.
Asked if it was a tough discussion considering Fields had accounted for 10 touchdowns against one turnover, Tomlin shrugged.
“I don’t worry about the difficulty of conversations,” he said at the time. “It’s about whether or not they’re necessary. We’re pursuing big business here. Comfort is not a component of what we’re chasing.”
Neither, it seems, is complacency.
The NFL’s most stable franchise is evolving, working with a type of urgency it has perhaps lacked at times during a playoff victory drought that’s at seven years and counting.
It’s why the Steelers blew up the quarterback room during the offseason and why Tomlin turned to Wilson in mid-October and essentially said, “Let’s see what you got.”
Turns out, more gas in the tank than Wilson’s abrupt exit in Denver would have people believe.
The 35-year-old has thrown for 542 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in wins over the New York Jets and New York Giants. The offense topped 400 yards in both games, something the Steelers hadn’t done in consecutive weeks since 2018.
It’s a promising start, though Wilson acknowledged it’s just that — a start.
“We have great confidence (but) we haven’t done everything yet,” Wilson said. “We’re obviously sitting here at 6-2, which is a great thing, but it doesn’t mean anything.”
Reaching the playoffs hasn’t been the issue for Pittsburgh, which has made it to the postseason in three of the last four years. The problem has been that the Steelers often look overmatched once they get there, lacking the firepower to keep up with teams like the Bills and Chiefs.
That may be changing in 2024. Pittsburgh has reached 20 points in five of its last six games, something it hasn’t done since its 11-0 start in 2020, taking some of the pressure off a defense that has spent the last three years well aware that it could ill afford to get into a shootout.
While cornerback Joey Porter Jr. downplayed the idea that the defense has more wiggle room than usual — trotting out a variation of Tomlin’s “the standard is the standard” motto — Pittsburgh’s ability to score more often has allowed defensive coordinator Teryl Austin to be even more aggressive.
The Steelers are tied for second in the NFL with 15 takeaways, many of them momentum-changers like T.J. Watt’s strip-sack of Daniel Jones and Beanie Bishop’s clinching interception in the fourth quarter against the Giants, part of what outside linebackers coach Denzel Martin describes as a turnover “culture.”
There’s even T-shirts to match. Coaches will hand them out after Saturday walkthroughs. They come with their own color code. Get one, it’s a white shirt. Get two, it’s a gray shirt. Get three, it’s a black shirt. Watt and Bishop are racking them up with increasing frequency.
Yet all is not perfect. The Giants gashed the Steelers for 157 yards rushing, not the best indicator for a team whose second-half schedule includes four games combined with Baltimore, Washington and Philadelphia, three of the most productive running teams in the league.
New York’s productivity on the ground was a sobering and in some ways welcome reminder of the considerable work that lies ahead.
“I think that’s good to be able to win ‘in spite of’ sometimes,” Austin said. “And so I’m real confident in our group coming back and working our tail off to be better when we line up and play next.”
It’s a methodology that trickles from the top down.
Tomlin’s message when he switched quarterbacks was simple: Good is no longer good enough. While Watt and defensive end Cam Heyward — now the longest-tenured defensive player in team history — are building resumes worthy of Hall of Fame consideration, neither has reached a Super Bowl. Watt, in fact, is still waiting for his first playoff victory.
“We can’t get comfortable because we know that we just got to, we got a lot of tough, tough games, a lot of tough ball ahead of us,” outside linebacker Alex Highsmith said. “And so we know our ultimate goal. And so we know we just got to always want to get better and have that championship detail.”
Something Wilson knows a little bit about. He arrived in Pittsburgh in March eager to resurrect his career after two underwhelming seasons with the Broncos. It’s early — very early — but his play so far has validated Tomlin’s decision to shake up the status quo and maybe set Pittsburgh on a path that’s been a slippery slope since reaching the AFC championship in 2016.
“You want to be on the rise as you go,” Wilson said. “I think we’re on that journey right now. We’re on that train of just continuing to grow. I think that’s an exciting thing for this football team, what we’re doing, how we’re doing it.”
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Calvin Austin III scores twice as the Steelers hold off the Giants 26-18

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin III (19) celebrates his touchdown catch with teammates during the second half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Calvin Austin III returned a punt for a touchdown and hauled in a lob by Russell Wilson for another score as the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the New York Giants 26-18. Austin raced across the field before sprinting down the sideline for a 73-yard touchdown in the third quarter that gave the Steelers the lead for good. He added a 29-yard over-the-shoulder grab from Wilson early in the fourth as Pittsburgh won its 22nd straight home game under the Monday night lights. Rookie Tyrone Tracy ran for a season-high 145 yards and a touchdown for New York. The Giants have lost three straight.

Steelers sign longtime defensive tackle Cam Heyward to new 3-year deal that runs through 2026

FILE – Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (97) walks off the field after an NFL wild-card playoff football game, Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, in Orchard Park, NY. (AP Photo/Matt Durisko, File)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Cam Heyward will get a chance to finish his career where it started. The longtime Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle has signed a three-year contract that runs through the 2026 season. Financial details were not disclosed. The 35-year-old Heyward was about to enter the final season of the four-year deal he signed in 2020. He has talked about playing beyond this year, stressing he hoped he would get a chance to do it in Pittsburgh. The six-time Pro Bowler has 80 1/2 sacks. That’s a franchise record for interior defensive linemen.

Steelers trade Kenny Pickett to the Eagles

FILE – Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett (8) scrambles out of the pocket with Arizona Cardinals cornerback Kei’Trel Clark (13) defending during the first half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023. The Pittsburgh Steelers are trading Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press on Friday, March 15, 2024. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The brief and tumultuous Kenny Pickett era in Pittsburgh is over. The Steelers are trading the quarterback to the Philadelphia Eagles, multiple sources told The Associated Press. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal was not official. Pittsburgh will receive a third-round pick in this year’s NFL draft and two seventh-round choices in the 2025 draft in exchange for Pickett and Pittsburgh’s fourth-round pick this year. The move comes just hours after the Steelers signed nine-time Pro Bowler Russell Wilson to a one-year deal.

Patriots parting with Bill Belichick, who led team to 6 Super Bowl championships, AP source says

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Six-time NFL champion Bill Belichick agreed to part ways as the coach of the New England Patriots on Thursday, bringing an end to his 24-year tenure as the architect of the most decorated dynasty of the league’s Super Bowl era, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because it has not yet been announced.

ESPN first reported the decision. A news conference is planned for later in the day in which team owner Robert Kraft and Belichick will address the decision.

Belichick, 71, became just the third coach in NFL history to reach 300 career regular-season wins earlier this season, joining Hall of Famers Don Shula and George Halas. With 333 wins including the playoffs, Belichick trails only Shula (347 wins) for the record for victories by a coach.

But the Patriots ended this season 4-13, Belichick’s worst record in 29 seasons as an NFL head coach. It supplanted the 5-11 mark he managed in his last year in Cleveland in 1995 and again in his first year in New England in 2000. Including the playoffs, he ends his Patriots tenure with a 333-178 overall record.

With his cutoff hoodies and ever-present scowl, Belichick teamed with quarterback Tom Brady to lead the Patriots to six Super Bowl victories, nine AFC titles and 17 division championships in 19 years. During a less successful — but also tumultuous — stint with the original Cleveland Browns, Belichick earned 37 of his career victories.

It’s not immediately clear who Kraft will tap to replace the future Hall of Famer.

Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo won a Super Bowl ring playing under Belichick and has interviewed for multiple head coaching vacancies since becoming a New England assistant in 2019. Mayo turned down a few interviews last offseason before signing a contract extension to remain with the Patriots.

Mike Vrabel, who was fired earlier this week by the Tennessee Titans and won three Super Bowls with the Patriots, is also expected to be a candidate for the head coaching job.

Belichick had been grooming offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to replace him before McDaniels left following the 2021 season to become the coach of the Raiders. He has since been fired by Las Vegas. Belichick’s two sons, Steve and Brian, are also on the coaching staff.

Belichick’s exit from the Patriots comes just a day after another legendary coach and his longtime friend Nick Saban announced he’d retire after winning seven national championships at the collegiate level. Saban worked for Belichick’s father, Steve, in the 1980s as a coach at Navy. Bill Belichick went on to hire Saban as his defensive coordinator when he became Cleveland’s head coach in 1991.

The six Super Bowl wins tie Belichick with pre-merger mentors Halas and Curly Lambeau for the most NFL championships. Belichick also won two rings as Bill Parcells’ defensive coordinator with the New York Giants.

But the Patriots have stumbled to a 29-38 record since Brady departed following the 2019 season and missed the playoffs in three of those four seasons. Beginning in 2001 when Brady became the starting quarterback, the Patriots missed the playoffs only once (2008) when Brady was injured. This marked New England’s fifth consecutive season without a playoff victory.

Belichick’s subsequent solutions at quarterback haven’t panned out.

Brady’s initial replacement, Cam Newton, didn’t resemble the player who won the 2015 MVP award and was cut after a 7-9 finish in 2020. Meanwhile Brady won his seventh Super Bowl ring with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that same season.

Potential long-term replacement Mac Jones, a 2021 first-round draft choice, was a Pro Bowl selection as a rookie and led New England to the playoffs. But he regressed in Year 2 when Belichick put longtime defensive assistant Matt Patricia in charge of the offense. Jones didn’t fare much better this season when Bill O’Brien returned as offensive coordinator. He was benched four times before being replaced as starter by backup Bailey Zappe for the final six games.

That left the Patriots looking at a lengthy rebuild, with no candidate on the roster to bring stability to the sport’s most important position.

Belichick, who also served as the de facto general manager with final say on personnel decisions, was celebrated for his ingenuity managing the salary cap during the run of Super Bowl success. It included getting stars like Brady and others to accept cap-friendly contracts or adjust their deals to accommodate the signing of other players.

But that acclaim has waned in the years since Brady left, as a run of draft picks and high-priced free agents didn’t live up to expectations. In addition, Belichick has seen several members of his personnel and scouting departments leave for other jobs. The list includes his former player personnel director, Nick Caserio, who was hired as Houston’s general manager in 2021.

Now it won’t be Belichick making the decisions for the Patriots on or off the field.

The only child of a World War II veteran who spent three decades as a Navy assistant coach, Belichick is a football historian with an encyclopedic knowledge of strategy from the sport’s early days to current NFL trends. His players said his attention to detail never left them unprepared.

Belichick has been a master of the NFL rule book, unearthing loopholes in clock operations and offensive line formations that — though entirely legal — cemented his reputation as a mad genius.

But his legacy in New England also includes two major cheating investigations — and other, minor ones — that cost him and the team draft picks and more than $1 million in fines. Opponents accused the Patriots of everything from hacking their headsets to cutting corners on injury reports.

His friendship with former President Donald Trump, which Belichick insisted was not political, landed the coach on the list to receive a Presidential Medal of Freedom in the waning days of the administration. After the outcry against the U.S. Capitol siege, Belichick announced “the decision has been made not to move forward.”

Linebacker Alex Highsmith signs contract to stay with the Steelers through 2027

FILE – Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith (56) walks off the field after an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023, in Baltimore. Coming off a breakout season, outside linebacker Alex Highsmith has signed a new contract that will keep him with the Steelers for the next five seasons. The two sides announced the deal on Wednesday, July 19, a week before the Steelers reported to training camp.(AP Photo/Terrance Williams, File)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Coming off a breakout season, outside linebacker Alex Highsmith has signed a new contract that will keep him with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the next five seasons.
The two sides announced the deal on Wednesday, a week before the Steelers reported to training camp. The 25-year-old Highsmith was in the final year of his rookie contract, and this will extend it through 2027.
“This means everything,” Highsmith said in a statement provided by the team after the signing. “I know I am a Pittsburgh Steeler through and through, and just to be a part of this amazing organization for four more years means the world to me, to my wife, to my whole family. This is where I want to be. This is where I want to play ball.”
A third-round pick in the 2020 draft, Highsmith has played in 49 career games, starting 38. He has 179 tackles, 32 tackles for loss, 22 1/2 sacks, 41 quarterback hits, six forced fumbles, two passes defensed and one interception.
Highsmith ranks first in the NFL for the most strip sacks (five) and forced fumbles (six) and is tied for second most in sacks (17.5) in his last 20 games, dating to Week 16 of the 2021 season. He also has recorded seven multiple sack games in his career.
Highsmith led the team with a career-high 14.5 sacks last season. The total was tied for sixth-most in the league, and fifth-most in Steelers history for a single season.
“It was a good year, but I’m far from satisfied,” said Highsmith in the offseason. “I never get complacent or comfortable, but I am grateful for a better year and being injury free for a year. I never want to get complacent, but I always want to be grateful.”
In addition, Highsmith’s team-high five forced fumbles were also tied for most in the NFL last year. He finished the season with 63 tackles, 20 quarterback hits, 12 tackles for loss and one pass defensed.
“It gave me a lot of confidence,” he said. “In 2021, I didn’t have a good start to my year dealing with injuries. I ended up finishing the year strong. This past year, I just wanted to start fast and continue it throughout the year. I felt like I was playing with more consistency and more confidence because I know the type of player that I can be. I just want to continue to get better every year.”
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Clark Haggans, Longtime NFL Linebacker Who Won a Super Bowl With the Steelers, Dies at 46

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Clark Haggans, an outside linebacker who won a Super Bowl with the Pittsburgh Steelers during a 13-year career that included stops in Arizona and San Francisco, has died. He was 46.

The Larimer County coroner’s office said in a release that it responded to a residence in Fort Collins, Colorado, on Monday to investigate the death of a male who was identified as Haggans. An autopsy was completed Wednesday with the cause and manner of death pending further investigation, the coroner’s office said. No foul play was evident.

The Steelers took a chance on Haggans in the fifth round of the 2000 draft. He responded by becoming a special teams ace before graduating into a starting role opposite Joey Porter on a defense that regularly ranked among the best in the NFL.

Haggans’ finest season came in 2005. He racked up a career-best nine sacks and was a disruptive force in the playoffs as Pittsburgh won three straight road games to reach the Super Bowl. Haggans had one of three Steelers sacks in the title game against the Seahawks as the franchise earned its fifth championship.

Haggans headed west to Arizona in 2008 but went down with a foot injury in mid-December, forcing him to sit out a postseason run that ended with the Cardinals falling to Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl.

Haggans played for Arizona from 2008-11 and spent his final season in the league with the 49ers in 2012, finishing with 46 1/2 sacks in 172 games.

Haggans grew up near Torrance, California, before starring at Colorado State in the late 1990s. He helped the Rams to a pair of Western Athletic Conference titles and his 33 sacks remain a program record.