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In recent weeks, payroll of wrestling stars has been a hot topic, and now we know AEW spends a crazy amount on talent annually.
AEW is a younger company than WWE, of course. Triple H recently confirmed that a Superstar salary, for an “entry level” deal, would be $250,000 per year. Not a bad deal if you can get it. This surely made people wonder what the going rate is for an AEW talent, and now we may have that answer.
Tony Khan has long been known to be loose with his wallet. Early on, his bank account helped AEW secure some major names. Of course, the major names haven’t translated into major ratings or commercial success, but that may be a different story for another time. On the heels of Hunter’s sharing, we have an idea of what AEW spends on talent annually.
How Big Is The Bill?
According to the Wrestling Observer, it is believed that the total payroll for AEW in-ring talent comes out to just about $104 million. The report indicates that there could be some wiggle to that, but it seems pretty close to it. Using that approximate total salary cost, and understanding that AEW has roughly 192 talents under contract? It’s an average salary of over half a million dollars per year. Granted, that number is skewed because there are quite a few talents with huge salaries.
Factoring that line item into things, it is believed that AEW would need roughly $125 million per year from the impending Warner Brothers-Discovery television deal. That deal has not been signed as of yet. But reports indicate it should be done in a matter of time. Of course, there can be questions about if the company generates that much interest and business. But with a couple weekly shows allowing for a decent amount of ad buys? It seems possible that it would work out, and WBD would not be in business with AEW if it wasn’t.
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Steelers Release Rookie WR
The Pittsburgh Steelers have already begun to decrease their roster size as they enter the second week of training camp. The rest of the remaining roster is set to wear pads for the first time this summer, but three players who began this offseason with the organization were officially waived or had their contracts terminated. A headliner among the first roster cuts for the Steelers is promising rookie wide receiver Montana Lemonious-Craig. The 6'2" pass-catcher was hoping to take advantage of the competition within Pittsburgh's receiving room, but his performance through rookie camp, OTAs and the first week of training camp were not enough to keep him around. The team placed him and linebacker Jeremiah Moon on the waived/injured list. Both he and Moon were released with injury designations. This means that they could be in line for an injury settlement if they clear waivers and revert to the Steelers' Injured Reserve (IR). Lemonious-Craig joined the Steelers in May of this year after going undrafted in the 2025 NFL Draft. He spent his collegiate career with two schools. He began at the University of Colorado, playing in that program between 2020 and 2022. As a sophomore, he recorded the best collegiate season of his career with Colorado. Over 11 games, he hauled in 23 receptions for 359 yards and two touchdowns. Following his sophomore campaign, he transferred to the University of Arizona to complete his NCAA eligibility. He played two seasons with the Wildcats, collecting 45 receptions for 468 yards and three touchdowns. Lemonious-Craig made waves during the pre-draft scouting process. Despite limited production over his five NCAA campaigns, he ran a 4.4 40-yard dash during his pro day. That speed, combined with his size, drew the Steelers to him and earned him a shot at camp.
NFL analyst says teams should be 'extremely scared' of this franchise in 2025
While the Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders have garnered a lot of attention lately, there is one NFC team that has quietly been flying under the radar. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost a one-score game to the Lions in the divisional round in 2023 and followed that up with another one-score loss to QB Jayden Daniels and the Commanders last season, proving how close they have been to the ultimate prize in the two seasons with Baker Mayfield under center. In an appearance on ESPN's "Get Up" Tuesday morning, analyst and former player Ryan Clark offered high praise for Mayfield and what the Buccaneers are capable of. "Baker Mayfield is a top-10 quarterback in this league," Clark said. "Baker Mayfield is a football player. And when I say that, I know people at home are gonna be like, 'Duh, he gets paid to play football.' No, not all quarterbacks are seen as football players. Not all quarterbacks are embraced in the locker room as one of us." Clark sees the Buccaneers as a team the rest of the league should be paying attention to because of who they have returning and the close calls in the playoffs the last two seasons. "This is a team that's been on the cusp the last two years," Clark said. "Now you think about some of the pieces they've added, the confidence in their quarterback and the way that he plays, and Todd Bowles with another year to understand winning at a high level at the head coach position. This is a team you better be extremely scared of because they're stacked and they're confident." Mayfield has been sensational during his time with the Buccaneers. Although he did throw 16 interceptions, Mayfield accounted for the third-most passing yards (4,500) in the league last season and has thrown the most TD passes (69) in the last two seasons, per StatMuse. To add even more incentive for Mayfield, the team restructured his contract, which is set to expire after the 2026 season, to include $30M in guaranteed salary for that season. The Buccaneers return a lot of production on both sides of the ball, in addition to bringing in first-round draft pick Emeka Egbuka, who topped 1,000 receiving yards twice at Ohio State and accounted for 26 total TDs. While Tampa Bay allowed the 17th-most points per game (22.7) last season, it returns the majority of its defensive production. On top of that, the offseason acquisition of veteran LB and two-time Pro-Bowler Haason Reddick, who agreed to terms on a one-year deal, should be a welcomed addition for a franchise that had some question marks on defense last season. The Buccaneers are projected to have the sixth-easiest schedule in the NFL this season and have the best chance to win the NFC South for the fifth consecutive season, according to ESPN Analytics. If Mayfield can cut back on his turnovers and the defense can create more pressure on opposing QBs, the Buccaneers could be a threat in the NFC once again as they look to put their recent nail-biting losses in the postseason behind them.
'He Should Get One': Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger Clamors For A New Contract For Key Piece In Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the more bizarre teams heading into the 2025 NFL season. The team has a ton of new pieces, so it is hard to determine just how well it will perform. On paper, the team should be one of the better groups in the AFC, but it will be interesting to watch how everyone ingratiates themselves into the organization, and whether or not the execution is where it needs to be. Regardless of what happens, there are a ton of reasons for excitement in Pittsburgh. The main reason for excitement in Pittsburgh is the new quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. There are some other important pieces as well, including DK Metcalf and Jalen Ramsey. Jonnu Smith is also a new factor on the offense that could play a key role. Former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was discussing all of the reasons to be excited about the Steelers on the most recent episode of Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger. He mentioned the new additions, but he also spoke about the overshadowed special teams unit, including Chris Boswell. "I'd say the best kicker in the game, [Chris] Boswell," Roethlisberger said. "Special teams, that gets overlooked so much. You know, we talk about offense, defense, talk about Aaron, talk about TJ [Watt], we talk about all this stuff. What about the best kicker in the game? I know he's not up for a new contract, he should get one. They should actually probably make him the highest-paid kicker if he's not already. So, Omar [Khan], the Khan-Man, should get that done." Boswell signed his most recent extension with the Steelers back ahead of the 2022 season. He signed a four-year deal worth $20 million that runs through the 2026 season. He could be extended now, but Pittsburgh usually waits until before the final year of the contract to get a new extension done. He has been one of the best kickers in the league since joining the Steelers back in 2015, and Roethlisberger thinks he has earned a new deal. In terms of average annual value, Boswell is currently the NFL's 11th highest-paid kicker. He is one of the most efficient and reliable players at the position in the league, and Roethlisberger believes he needs to be at the top of that list. A new contract would likely result in the kicker becoming the highest-paid in the NFL, as he deserves it based on nearly every metric. Boswell led the NFL in field goals made during the 2024 season, and he went 13 of 15 from past 50 yards. His accuracy is unmatched, and he is coming off of his first All-Pro season in 2024. He was often overshadowed in the AFC due to Justin Tucker, but Tucker's career has seemed to fall apart after some off the field issues came to light during the 2025 offseason. Tucker also had one of the worst seasons of his career in 2024, which allowed Boswell to take the title of being the best kicker in the league. Steelers' Chris Boswell Is Searching For More Playoff Success When fans talk about the longest-tenured players on the Steelers, the first name that is always mentioned is Cam Heyward. Rightfully so, but Boswell has also been around Pittsburgh for a long time. He joined the team during the 2015 season, and he immediately solidified himself as the organization's kicker. There have been multiple instances where Pittsburgh has won contests with the only scoring coming from the leg of Boswell, but hopefully the offense can take a step forward in 2025 to take some pressure off of the kicker. Boswell has won in the playoffs with Pittsburgh before, and he is trying to get back to that point in 2025. Would you like to see Boswell get a new deal?
Ex-Packers Star May be About to Lose his Starting Job
Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones was a virtual nonfactor against the Packers last season, but Green Bay may be seeing a little less of the veteran back in the pair of meetings against their NFC North rivals this season. In two games against the Packers, Jones rushed for 140 yards but failed to reach the end zone in either game, as the Vikings swept the season series against Green Bay. However, there’s a chance Jones may already have been supplanted in Minnesota’s backfield. Ex-Packers RB Aaron Jones Splitting Reps with Jordan Mason Early in Vikings training camp, Jones might be losing his grip on Minnesota’s No. 1 running back role. Multiple reports say Jones is splitting carries with Vikings newcomer Jordan Mason, who Minnesota acquired in an offseason trade with the San Francisco 49ers. “The news is noteworthy but not particularly surprising,” Ryan Smith points out for Pro Football Focus. “Given that the team traded for Mason in March and then signed him to a two-year, $7 million fully guaranteed deal that could reach up to $12 million. Seifert believes that Mason and former Pro Bowler Aaron Jones will have a near 50-50 split in terms of playing time this season. “Last year, both Jones (76.5 PFF rushing grade) and Mason (76.1) ranked among the top 20 running backs in the league in PFF rushing grade. Jones has shown the ability to be a more dangerous threat through the air, as evidenced by his 70.6 PFF receiving grade last year and nearly 2,500 career receiving yards and 20 touchdowns.” Jones, in his first season with the Vikings, rushed for a career-high 1,138 yards and five touchdowns. If Minnesota takes a backfield by committee approach, it could bring out the best in both backs, after Jones was the Vikings’ lead-dog in 2024 and Mason wound up emerging as an explosive option in San Francisco after Christian McCaffrey’s season-ending injuries.
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