Aaron Rodgers has now completed his long-awaited move to the Steel City, becoming the new QB1 for Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers. As Rodgers joins a Steelers team that is both in flux and in one of the strongest divisions in the NFL, several new division rivals, including Myles Garrett and John Harbaugh, have had hilarious reactions to the new rival QB.
Aaron Rodgers is one of the best QBs of his generation, meaning plenty of defensive players relish the opportunity to intercept him, sack him, and play against him in general. Cleveland Browns defensive linemen Myles Garrett, one of the league’s premier sack artists, is ready to face Rodgers, who now represents a massive division rival.
Myles Garrett on Aaron Rodgers joining the AFC North: “I think it’s a good opportunity to put him in the graveyard.” pic.twitter.com/BWzBQmdIZz
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) June 10, 2025
Garrett has not sacked Rodgers yet in his career, but, barring injury, will have two games against the four-time NFL MVP.
Rodgers is joining a division that has featured some elite quarterback play in recent years. Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson is one of the faces of the league and has also won multiple MVPs. Cincinnati Bengals signal-caller Joe Burrow remains one of the elite talents at the position. Meanwhile, Garrett’s Browns have several notable names on the depth chart, one of which is Joe Flacco, former Super Bowl MVP.
#Ravens QB Lamar Jackson is the only AFC North starting quarterback without a Super Bowl appearance#Bengals Joe Burrow, #Browns Joe Flacco, and #Steelers Aaron Rodgers all have had a Super Bowl appearance. pic.twitter.com/ktLDzXkh4T
— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) June 7, 2025
Steelers vs. Ravens is one of the NFL’s most heated rivalries. As Rodgers enters the fray on the team many would assert is the less talented of the two, some Baltimore players are eager to face the former Green Bay Packers player.
Cornerback Nate Wiggins expressed excitement about playing against Rodgers and hopes that he can intercept one of his passes. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh reaffirmed that he has great respect for Rodgers.
“We’ve always respected Aaron Rodgers. He’s a Hall of Fame quarterback.”
Rodgers has an 8-3 career record against Baltimore, Cleveland, and Cincinnati. With many of those games coming during his time in Green Bay, Rodgers will have a significantly different supporting cast entering the 2025-26 season. New Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf represents his biggest source of talent on offense. Pittsburgh also has a solid defense and a reputation for having winning seasons regardless of circumstance.
Rodgers will open the season against the New York Jets, who he played for after departing the Packers. His time with the franchise did not go well, so it could be a perfect opportunity to exercise some demons and leave the past behind while starting off his Steelers tenure with a win.
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The 2024 offseason expanded the $30M-per-year wide receiver club to six members. D.K. Metcalf, Ja’Marr Chase and Garrett Wilson have taken it to nine this year. Terry McLaurin is undoubtedly pushing to bump that number to 10, after seeing 2019 Day 2 classmates Metcalf and A.J. Brown land among that contingent. McLaurin reported to training camp Sunday and landed on the active/PUP list. As our Rory Parks explained, skepticism exists about how injured the Commanders’ top wide receiver really is. An ankle injury has keyed the PUP stay, but it can be safely assumed McLaurin would be ready to practice if an extension comes to pass. Nevertheless, the Commanders have been surprised by the difficulty of these talks. Using an injury to avoid practicing while negotiating — developments the Jonathan Taylor and Micah Parsons sagas brought — represents a third tactic, joining the holdout and the increasingly utilized hold-in amid extension talks. McLaurin shifted from a holdout to the injury route; no matter how he is accomplishing not practicing, the seventh-year veteran is aiming to land a lucrative third contract. His age provides a complication for Washington. McLaurin is going into an age-30 season, separating him from Brown and Metcalf. Both Ole Miss products were drafted just before McLaurin, a 2019 third-round pick, but they are each two years younger. This strengthened their cases for big-ticket third contracts. McLaurin went first to ignite the second-tier boom on the receiver market in 2022, agreeing to a three-year, $69.6M extension. That shaped the Metcalf and Deebo Samuel extensions, both of which coming in higher than McLaurin’s despite the latter’s consistency with suboptimal quarterback situations. McLaurin’s AAV has dropped to 17th at wide receiver. The Commanders are prepared to extend their top wideout, but Sportskeeda.com’s Tony Pauline indicates the "holdup" is regarding the $30M-AAV number. Some around the league point to the team not wanting to go into that neighborhood for McLaurin, despite his five 1,000-yard seasons. Courtland Sutton and McLaurin are nearly the same age, and the Broncos’ top target signed a four-year, $92M extension. That matches where the Titans went for Calvin Ridley (now 30) in 2024. McLaurin, though, has a better resume than both and should be aiming higher. The Commanders have a Jayden Daniels rookie contract to structure another McLaurin extension around as well. Adam Peters was around for the 49ers’ 2022 Samuel extension but not Brandon Aiyuk‘s $30M-per-year deal. (The Samuel extension also did not work out for the 49ers, who proceeded with a salary dump of sorts by trading him to the Commanders.) The second-year GM taking a hardline stance with McLaurin would be an interesting route given the WR’s importance to a sudden contender. Peters confirmed talks are ongoing, with that comment coming after McLaurin expressed frustration about the negotiations. A potential gap between the pack of 20-somethings (and Tyreek Hill) north of $30M AAV and the Tee Higgins–Jaylen Waddle–D.J. Moore tier could be relevant here, and it will be interesting to see if McLaurin settles for something just south of that $30MM benchmark. Guarantees and contract structure, of course, will be important to determining the value as well. A short-term extension should be reached soon, per Pauline, but if the Commanders hold the line at or around $30M, the McLaurin matter could drag on for a while longer.
The Detroit Tigers have been unstoppable at the plate lately, and Tuesday night was no different. The Tigers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks, 12-2, giving them 27 runs in the last three games. A big contributor to their offense on Tuesday was outfielder Wenceel Perez, who joined Sam Crawford (1912), Ossie Vitt (1915) and Ty Cobb (1924, 1916, 1915) as the only four players in franchise history to have a single, double, triple and two stolen bases in the same game. Perez began his historic night with a double off Diamondbacks starter Brandon Pfaadt in the second inning before adding a single in the fourth. A monster fifth inning put the Tigers ahead 8-2 after an early 2-0 deficit, which set the stage for a three-run sixth inning that included this triple from Perez off Arizona's Jake Woodford to give Detroit a 10-2 lead. Perez scored two more runs, one in the sixth and the other in eighth, to give the Tigers their final two runs in a 12-run outburst. Overall, Perez had three hits in five at-bats, scored four runs and added one RBI to go with his historic statline. Given his performance over the past month, it was surprising to see Perez show out against Arizona. After all, he did not have a single hit the last two games, and he only recorded more than one hit once in 20 games the entire month coming into Tuesday. The Tigers were once the hottest team in baseball when they held a 59-34 record on July 8. Since then, they suffered a slump that includes a six-game losing streak. Suddenly, Detroit has won its last three and scored 10 or more runs in two of those victories. As good as the offense has been, the pitching has been solid as well with the Tigers outscoring their opponents 27-7 during the three-game stretch. Yes, the last two wins have come against a struggling Diamondbacks team that sits fourth in the NL West with a 51-57 record. Still, they have taken care of business and won handily. The next step is getting healthy and having someone to pair with ace Tarik Skubal in the rotation. Right-hander Chris Paddack was added to the 26-man roster and is set to start Wednesday, while free agent signing Alex Cobb is beginning his rehab assignment. The Tigers will go for the sweep of the Diamondbacks on Wednesday before traveling to Philadelphia for a weekend series against the Phillies. It will be difficult to top Perez's historic outing from Tuesday, but if momentum is any indication, the Tigers may only be getting started, especially if the pitching depth is there.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are the two best players currently on the ATP Tour, with either man having won every Grand Slam this season. With their fan base divided, Polish WTA star Iga Swiatek has chimed in on the debate. Both men have established a professional rivalry that will likely go down in tennis history, with Alcaraz currently leading 8-5 in career meetings. The Spaniard defeated Sinner in the final to win the Roland Garros title earlier this year. However, Sinner avenged his loss a few weeks later, dethroning Alcaraz after defeating the defending champion in the final to win his first Wimbledon title. Swiatek joined Sinner in the winner's circle at SW19, as the former World No.1 powered through the field to win her maiden Wimbledon title. Swiatek dropped only one set en route to the final, where she soundly defeated American Amanda Anisimova in the final. Although Sinner sits on top of the ATP rankings after having won two Grand Slam titles this season, Swiatek admitted to employing the same approach as Alcaraz. The WTA star stated she preferred his more laid-back approach, in addition to his commitment to taking some personal time away from tennis. Alcaraz's approach suits her better, says Swiatek "I wish I was more like Carlos because I have got to say he is a big inspiration in terms of that,” said Swiatek in an interview with TVA Sports. “He always says that the most important thing for him on a tennis court is to enjoy it and have fun and I sometimes forget about that. “And sometimes with all the pressure around and things we need to do off the court, you need to remind yourself about this kid that started playing tennis, instead of winning for somebody and having this baggage on your shoulders. “For sure, when Carlos shows that and when he speaks about that, it is always a good reminder for me, and I try to do that as well, but without me working on it, I think my mind would automatically go to just working, working, working." The Warsaw native is competing at the 2025 Canadian Open in Montreal, where she is the second seed. Swiatek will kick off her campaign with a second round clash against China's Guo Hanyu on Wednesday.
With less than 48 hours to go until the 2025 MLB trade deadline, the New York Yankees are still flirting with the Pittsburgh Pirates over some pitching. According to insider Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Yankees and Pirates are still discussing reliever David Bednar and starter Mitch Keller on Tuesday night. But while there’s interest in both arms, the Yankees might not like the price. “Bednar is a target. Keller interests them, too, but the price tag might discourage them,” Heyman reported Tuesday. That lines up with what we’ve seen from the Yankees so far this month. They’ve been aggressive in scouting relievers but cautious about overpaying, especially for pitchers under long-term control. Bednar, who has a 4.19 ERA and 16 saves in 2025, would fill a pressing need for a club that ranks near the bottom of the league in bullpen ERA for July. His late-inning experience and high ground-ball rate make him a logical fit. Keller, meanwhile, would be a luxury at this point, especially after Luis Gil’s impending return. The right-hander is having a bounce-back year for the Pirates, with a 3.56 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and a team-leading 121 strikeouts in 125 innings. But he’s under team control through 2028, and Pittsburgh doesn’t appear eager to move him unless blown away. That’s likely where the Yankees’ caution kicks in. The team has shown a willingness to deal mid-tier prospects but has reportedly been hesitant to part with top-end talent like Cam Schlittler or Spencer Jones, especially for non-rental pieces. Still, the fact that conversations have occurred shows that even in the wake of Aaron Judge’s injury news, the Yankees remain active on both the bullpen and rotation fronts. The Yankees front office is casting a wide net. With time running out, names like Bednar and Keller remain firmly in the mix.