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Ben Roethlisberger will be Steelers starting QB in 2021?
The saga involving veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers is seemingly nearing its inevitable conclusion.
On Tuesday, NFL Network's Aditi Kinkhabwala reported that Roethlisberger's agent says the two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback will return to the club for at least one more season:
Ben Roethlisberger will indeed be back as the #Steelers starting QB this fall. Just connected w/ the two-time Super Bowl winner’s agent, Ryan Tollner, who said this: pic.twitter.com/YnWRWwkbeM
— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) February 23, 2021
Kinkhabwala's tweet came hours after Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Roethlisberger had met with Steelers president Art Rooney II and that the meeting "went well."
Roethlisberger turns 39 years old next month but, by all accounts, does not want the home playoff loss to the Cleveland Browns last month to be his final appearance in a Pittsburgh jersey. His contract carries a $41.25 million salary-cap hit for the 2021 season, and the Steelers would suffer a $22.25 million dead cap hit if they released him.
The math coupled with Roethlisberger's alleged desire to play next fall always made a restructuring of his current deal to spread cap hits across multiple years the logical outcome to a story that has dominated Pittsburgh sports headlines since even before Super Bowl LV. While Kinkhabwala reported on Monday that some within the Steelers want to "simply move forward" without Roethlisberger as starting quarterback, that stopped being a legitimate option the minute he removed retirement from the discussion.
For better or for worse for all involved, Roethlisberger is tracking to be Pittsburgh's QB1 for Week 1 of the 2021 campaign.
More must-reads:
- Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers had positive meeting about his return?
- Do Steelers want to move forward without Ben Roethlisberger?
- The 'Prominent quarterbacks in Pittsburgh Steelers history' quiz
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Chop Robinson injury update: Miami Dolphins star reveals severity after being carted off field
Dolphins fans can breathe a collective sigh of relief with the latest update on the injury to pass rusher Chop Robinson. The second-year defender had to be carted off the practice field Wednesday during a joint practice with the Detroit Lions. Robinson posted an update on social media a couple of hours later to let fans know he is “good” and the injury is “nothing serious.” It sounds like he avoided anything that would cause him to miss significant time, and the carting off the field was simply a precautionary measure. As a rookie, Robinson played in all 17 games for the Dolphins, starting one. He finished with 26 tackles, eight tackles for loss and six sacks. He finished fifth in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. Robinson was the No. 21 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft out of Penn State. He played two seasons for the Nittany Lions after starting his career at Maryland. Over the course of his collegiate career, Robinson finished with 60 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, three pass deflections, two fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles. Robinson had a career high 5.5 sacks in 2022. As a member of the Class of 2021, Robinson was a four-star recruit out of Gaithersburg (M.D.) Quince Orchard, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking. He was the No. 1 overall prospect in the state, the No. 5 EDGE in the class and the No. 62 overall prospect in the class. The Dolphins have their next preseason game on Saturday against the Lions. We might not see Chop Robinson play in that contest, but it doesn’t mean the injury is a serious one and would likely only be a precautionary measure from the team as it prepares for the regular season. Tyreek Hill trade rumors Multiple NFL teams reportedly monitoring future with Dolphins In addition to Robinson, there’s been drama with the Dolphins lately. There are now rumors that Tyreek Hill could fetch some trade requests from other teams. “So his status is uncertain, with an oblique injury right now, as for when he gets back in the lineup, is still up in the air,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said on SportsCenter. “Right now, I have talked to a few teams that are at least monitoring his future a little bit. Could he be a potential trade target? Now, I know the Dolphins earlier this summer were telling teams, no, we’re not trading Tyreek Hill, but they just, you know, wonder, is he going to be available? It could be wishful thinking. “Maybe they want him to be available, but he’s a player that when I bring up the teams and say, who’s sort of a trade target you’re watching? They bring up Tyreek Hill, so we’ll see. He’s a big option for Tua and that’d be a major move if they did move away from him.” On3’s Nick Kosko contributed to this report.
Titans snatch Brian Asamoah off waivers as Vikings sign 2 linebackers
Brian Asamoah II only waited 24 hours to be claimed off waivers by the Tennessee Titans. The 2022 third-round pick never developed into a regular rotation player for the Minnesota Vikings, but he'll get a fresh start playing in a different scheme under Tennessee defensive coordinator Dennard Willis. Asamoah's release was followed by the Vikings signing a pair of linebackers on Wednesday: outside linebacker Cam Gill and insider linebacker Max Tooley. Gill has been in the NFL since 2020, playing primarily a special teams role with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for three seasons. In 2024, Gill played for the Carolina Panthers and logged 221 defensive snaps and 172 special teams snaps. He finished the season with 22 tackles and four quarterback hits. Notably, Gill recorded two tackles and half a sack for Tampa Bay in Super Bowl LV. Tooely was on Minnesota's practice squad all of last season, though he never appeared in a game as a rookie. He went undrafted after starring at BYU in college. Neither Gill nor Tooley are expected to land a big role on defense. The inside linebacker jobs currently belong to starters Blake Cashman and Ivan Pace Jr., followed by veteran Eric Wilson and rookie Kobe King waiting in the wings as the primary backups. The outside linebacker depth is also evident with Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Dallas Turner, Gabriel Murphy, Bo Richter, Tyler Batty and Chaz Chambliss. Van Ginkel is dealing with an unspecified health issue so our guess is that the Vikings brought in Gill to take some of the available reps this week against the New England Patriots. More from Vikings On SI
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King of New York: Pete Alonso breaks major Mets all-time record
Pete Alonso is now the New York Mets' all-time home run king. With his opposite-field, two-run home run in the bottom of the third inning against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night, Alonso clubbed the 253rd and 254th home runs of his Mets career, moving him into sole possession of first place on the team's all-time list. He moved two home runs ahead of the previous record-holder, Darryl Strawberry, who hit 252 home runs with the team between the 1983 and 1990 seasons. Here is a look at his record-setting home run. Later in the bottom of the sixth inning, Alonso hit his 254th home run: Along with the all-time Mets home run lead, Alonso is also the Mets' single-season home run leader with 53 home runs during the 2019 season. Strawberry congratulated Alonso on breaking his record: His home runs on Tuesday were his 27th and 28th of the season. It is a big deal for Alonso because there was some doubt this past offseason about whether he would have a chance to set this record. Even though he was close, the uncertainty around his future, given his free-agent status, created a lot of questions about where he would play. Ultimately, the Mets re-signed him to a two-year, $54 million contract that includes an opt-out clause following the 2025 season. That opt-out will again create some uncertainty about his future, but it is pretty clear Alonso still has a lot of power left in his bat. Whether he returns to the Mets or goes somewhere else, he will remain the franchise's greatest home run hitter for the foreseeable future. He is now on top of the record books for the single season and career.
What to know about the 10 hottest college football QB battles
The college football season is almost here. The preseason Associated Press and Coaches Top-25 Polls are out. Pundits are delivering their conference power rankings, projected College Football Playoff brackets and All-America teams. Even as the season is just 10 days away for those playing in Week 0, which quarterbacks will start for some of the country's best programs remains to be seen. Teams continue to conduct their summer camps and scrimmages so that coaches can decipher which signal-caller they will go with to start the season. Here are the 10 most intriguing quarterback battles, in no particular order. Notre Dame The chatter is that things are picking up steam in the battle here. Redshirt freshman CJ Carr was the presumed favorite entering preseason camp, although sophomore Kenny Minchey is gaining momentum, experts say. Whichever QB wins out must face Miami on the road in the opener. Ohio State There's not much separation between sophomore Julian Sayin, a transfer from Alabama, and junior Lincoln Kienholz. With a scrimmage slated for this coming weekend, On3's Pete Nakos gives a slight edge to Sayin. Head coach Ryan Day has a tough decision looming. Michigan Four signal-callers with the Wolverines are duking it out for the starting spot. Leading the way is true freshman Bryce Underwood, the nation's No. 1 prospect in the 2025 class. Other contenders are sophomore Jadyn Davis and graduate students Mikey Keene and Jake Garcia. Michigan coaches have praised Underwood for his work ethic, and he could have the upper hand. Syracuse It's neck-and-neck between LSU transfer Rickie Collins and Notre Dame transfer Steve Angeli. Head coach Fran Brown named Collins the starter in the spring, but that was before Angeli moved from the Fighting Irish to the Orange. The buzz is that Angeli may have a slight edge at this juncture, with another scrimmage planned for this weekend. Tennessee This competition looks to come down to Appalachian State/UCLA transfer Joey Aguilar and redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger, although true freshman George MacIntyre played well during the Volunteers' latest scrimmage. Aguilar is trending to be the team's starter in Week 1 against Syracuse in Atlanta, according to Nakos. Colorado Things remain up in the air at quarterback for Deion Sanders' Buffaloes. The buzz is that Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter may be the favorite, although it would be foolish to count out true freshman Julian Lewis, a five-star prospect and a top-five quarterback in the 2025 cycle. Still, look for Salter to prevail. North Carolina Given that the Tar Heels' head coach is NFL legend Bill Belichick, don't expect a lot of chatter to come out from him before the season opener. That being said, it appears South Alabama transfer Gio Lopez is out in front of graduate student Max Johnson. UNC is expected to have its first official scrimmage this weekend. Purdue The two quarterbacks competing for the top job with the Boilermakers are North Carolina transfer Ryan Browne, who had previously played for Purdue, and Malachi Singleton, a transfer from Arkansas. Browne holds a small advantage, per On3. Oregon Redshirt sophomore Dante Moore is thought to be the starter for the Ducks, but it's not a certainty. Moore was the starting QB at UCLA in 2023, but then transferred to Oregon. He's battling redshirt sophomore Austin Novosad, who is entering his third season with the Ducks. Georgia For the Bulldogs, redshirt junior Gunner Stockton is anticipated to be the team's starter. However, redshirt freshman Ryan Puglisi has played well during Georgia's fall camp. Stockton is the clear favorite, but Puglisi has kept this quarterback competition interesting.
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