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Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers had positive meeting about his return?
Much had been made in NFL circles about the fact that Pittsburgh Steelers veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had not yet met with team officials about potentially restructuring his contract to offer salary-cap relief for the 2021 season.
According to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that's no longer the case:
Ben Roethlisberger met w team president Art Rooney II today and the meeting “went well,” according to sources
— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) February 23, 2021
What exactly "went well" means in this context is unknown as of early Tuesday afternoon. The facts remain that Roethlisberger has indicated he's not retiring and wants to play for the Steelers next fall, that his current contract carries a $41.25 million cap hit for the 2021 campaign, and that Pittsburgh would suffer a $22.25 million dead cap hit upon releasing the two-time Super Bowl champion who turns 39 years old on March 2.
While the math seems to indicate Roethlisberger will be Pittsburgh's QB1 in September, NFL Network insider and AFC North analyst Aditi Kinkhabwala reported on Monday that some within the Steelers believe "it is time to simply move forward" without Big Ben on the roster. That's much easier said than done, financially speaking, but Dulac's update suggests the signal-caller and club are nearing a resolution that will benefit both for at least one more season.
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Angry Mike Vrabel vows to find 'rats' within Patriots organization who leaked major news
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel wasn't mad about how the backups performed in the team's 42-10 preseason loss to the New York Giants. He was angry that someone had leaked the news that wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk would need season-ending shoulder surgery. When asked if he had anything to add to the reports that Polk would miss the season, Vrabel didn't give the media anything aside from his unvarnished feelings. "I'd like to find out where some of these [reports] come from. Some of these rats around here. So, we'll figure that out," he added in a news conference on Thursday. Coaches and reporters are hardly the best of friends on a good day. Often, a coach will deflect if they don't want to add fuel to a report the team hasn't made official, but usually they won't deflect and promise to get the "rats" providing this information. NFL insider Jordan Schultz broke the news ahead of the Patriots' preseason finale against the Giants. According to Schultz, the decision for Polk to undergo surgery was made to ensure the 2024 second-round pick would be healthy for the 2026 season. Polk dealt with health issues throughout the offseason. It was during the second quarter of New England's preseason opener against the Washington Commanders that he took a nasty hit on a one-yard run, leading to the shoulder injury that will sideline him for 2025. Last season, Polk had a tough rookie debut, catching just 12 receptions for 87 yards and recording two touchdowns. The hope for 2025 was that he could redeem himself and become a reliable enough target for second-year quarterback Drake Maye. Expectations for Maye are much higher now with the return of Tom Brady's old offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels. Without Polk to run routes, though, the already-thin wide receiver room is nearly devoid of talent behind veteran receiver Stefon Diggs. The Patriots signed Diggs to a three-year, $69 million contract in the offseason. However, Diggs has brought some unwanted attention to the team through his offseason antics and is recovering from a torn ACL that ended his time with the Houston Texans. While Patriot fans should feel some hope in the direction of the team under Vrabel — a former defensive star for New England during the dynasty years — this roster is still in the midst of a rebuild. And with such a troubled roster, losses may pile up, and the team's relationship with the media could worsen if another season feels like a waste. So, Vrabel being upset by Polk's injury is fair, but what doesn't feel fair is to single out Patriots staff and players who are potentially talking to reporters as hostile to the organization. It's perhaps not surprising that Vrabel is willing to voice his frustrations, as he's shown no fear when breaking up practice scrums. Still, it's the job of any journalist to build relationships with staff and team members to gain reliable sources who can help them accurately report the news. While the "rats" moniker for those in the building talking to NFL insiders and the New England sports media will be swallowed up by all the other headlines as Week 1 nears, it's notable that Vrabel's time as head coach in New England is already off to a contentious start.
Phillies get terrible injury news on ace starting pitcher
The Philadelphia Phillies received the update they did not want to hear on Saturday. Starting pitcher Zack Wheeler is going to miss the remainder of the 2025 season due to thoracic outlet syndrome, the team announced. He will have surgery to correct the issue with a recovery time of six to eight months. There is no way to sugarcoat this for the Phillies — this is brutal news and a potentially crushing blow to their World Series chances in the National League. While they still have a strong rotation and two excellent front-line starters in Cristopher Sanchez and Ranger Suarez, Wheeler is their unquestioned ace and has been one of the best overall pitchers in the National League since he joined the Phillies prior to the 2020 season. The Phillies are still pretty much a playoff lock at this point and entered the weekend with a six-game lead over the New York Mets in the National League East standings. But taking a front-line starter away from them this late in the season is going to be impossible to replace. With Wheeler, Sanchez and Suarez, they would have had a fierce trio to throw at teams in a short series (or a best-of-seven series) that could have stacked up with anybody. Sanchez and Suarez are still going to give them a great chance, but it's definitely not what they wanted. Prior to Saturday's announcement, Wheeler had a 2.71 ERA and was leading the league in both strikeouts (195) and strikeouts per nine innings (11.7) pitched. He also has the lowest WHIP (walks/hits per innings pitched) in the league (.935).
Commanders veteran blows final audition with future on the line
The Washington Commanders' final preseason engagement against the Baltimore Ravens represented the last chance for players looking to make a big impression before their respective fates are determined. Some thrived under the pressure, but others wilted. And for one veteran whose future was firmly on the line, their status looks all but sealed after another dismal outing. Things looked promising for Chris Moore earlier in the offseason. The wide receiver caught the eye over early workouts, displaying the reliability and contested catch prowess that managed to stand out in a crowded room. Unfortunately for the player, things have taken a downward turn since. Chris Moore blew another shot to impress in Commanders' preseason finale Moore couldn't keep up his initial consistency at training camp. Things got even worse in the preseason, which began with two crucial drops in Washington's opening warmup outing versus the New England Patriots. With several starters and rotational pieces sitting out at Northwest Stadium, this was Moore's chance to silence his doubters and prove worthy of an extended stay. And his final audition arrived when quarterback Sam Hartman delivered a deep ball down the sideline that fell within his catch radius. The former fourth-round pick out of Cincinnati, who began his NFL journey with the Ravens, needed to make this catch. Much to the dismay of fans, the wideout fluffed his lines. Moore dropped the target when it was makeable. He did bring in one reception for five receiving yards after that, but the damage had been done. And any slim hope he had of making the 53-man roster evaporated in the blink of an eye. Competition for places in Washington's receiver group is fierce. While Hartman and Josh Johnson didn't do their pass-catchers many favors, Moore's problems were self-inflicted. It's hard to envisage how he makes the team now, and even sticking around on the practice squad might be a stretch if others also come through waivers. It'll be an anxious wait for Moore. However, the experienced pro has been around long enough to know what comes next. And when his inevitable fate is sealed, he cannot have many complaints. The Commanders gave him chances to excel. Moore didn't take advantage of them emphatically enough, and this won't go unnoticed by general manager Adam Peters when he starts to trim the fat. Whether Moore comes back onto the practice squad or not is anyone's guess. But after a preseason to forget, even that is hanging in the balance now. More Commanders news and analysis
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World Series-winning pitcher won't commit to playing beyond 2025
Jon Gray’s season was all but officially ended last week by a diagnosis of thoracic outlet syndrome and a subsequent placement on the Rangers’ 15-day injured list. TOS surgery would keep Gray sidelined for a big chunk of the 2026 season and perhaps the entirety of next year, and Gray would be 35 on Opening Day 2027. The idea of hanging up his glove entirely has apparently at least crossed Gray’s mind, as Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes that Gray “responded mostly with a shrug” when asked by reporters Friday if he was going to keep playing beyond this season. When asked about pitching again in 2025, Gray said “I don’t have any idea about the future. I guess there is always hope. But it’s hard to have hope with everything that’s happened. It’s just become a really frustrating pattern.” That said, Gray noted that he had some interest in looking to “go out with a good feeling” rather than be somewhat forced out of baseball due to injury. Given that a TOS surgery hasn’t even been officially planned yet, it is probably too soon to be reading too much into Gray’s immediate reaction, as his emotions are (understandably) raw about this latest major setback to his career. There is no rush for him to make any big decision about his playing career, and naturally Gray might want to take his time in considering whether or not to walk away from the game entirely. This major injury adds another layer, however, to what was already looking like a crossroads of an offseason for the right-hander. Gray is in the final season of his four-year, $56M contract, and he has pitched only 14 innings this season due to a broken wrist suffered during spring training, and then this most recent IL placement. The Rangers have used Gray out of the bullpen rather than as a starter, and he has struggled to a 7.71 ERA over his six appearances. The sample size is small enough that it’s hard to make any clear observations from Gray’s 2025 performance, and five homers allowed over his 14 innings obviously skewed his numbers to some extent. It still clearly wasn’t the type of platform year Gray was hoping for heading into free agency, and if healthy, he would’ve likely been looking at a one-year guarantee from a team hoping he could bounce back. The TOS surgery could make a two-year deal a possibility, with a minimal salary in the first year and a larger commitment for 2027 when Gray is presumably healthy, yet the overall size of that contract doesn’t figure to be too pricey considering the shaky track record of pitchers returning in good form after thoracic outlet syndrome. Injuries have been a frequent concern for Gray, as a variety of issues (foot problems, an MCL strain, an oblique strain, blisters, shoulder inflammation, a forearm strain, multiple groin strains in 2024 and his fractured wrist) have led to IL stints over the course of his 11 major league seasons. Despite these health woes and the fact that he spent his first seven seasons pitching in the thin air with the Rockies, Gray has a respectable 4.49 ERA, 23.4% strikeout rate and 7.8% walk rate over 1230 2/3 career innings. Chosen third overall by Colorado in the 2013 draft, Gray didn’t quite reach the star level associated with such lofty draft status, but he has been a solid rotation member over his career with some flashes of being a frontline starter. If this is indeed it for Gray, he can look back with pride on a long career that included a World Series ring with Texas in 2023. (Gray contributed to that title with a 1.59 ERA over 5 2/3 relief innings during the Rangers’ postseason run.) Grant suggested two other factors that might impact any of Gray’s retirement plans. Gray has over 10 years of MLB service time — officially crossing that threshold earlier this season — and therefore is already qualified for a full pension. There is also the widespread expectation that MLB will be facing a work stoppage when the collective bargaining agreement expires after the 2026 season, so if Gray does indeed miss next year while rehabbing, a return to the field could be even further delayed by a lockout.
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