who do you extend ?

saw an article over at stillcuratin.com about who deserves a contract extension before the season starts and who doesn't.

in their opinion they are extending
TJ Watt
Jaylen Warren
Cameron Heyward
James Daniels

they would not extend
Pat Freiermuth
Najee Harris

me personally i would extend watt and warren for sure.
i'm passing on Heyward just because he is being a dick. he made some more comments about how it might be fun playing for another team. fuck off cam.

i'm passing on james Daniels. he was simply not that good last year and certainly didnt look like a 10 million dollar guard. if this is going to be a running team, then they need better run blockers then Daniels.

i'm passing on Najee. or at least not offering anywhere near the 6.9 million his 5th year would have paid. the 4.1 mill he is collect this year would be about all i would offer. maybe a 3 year 12.5 deal with 9.5 guaranteed. i dont know what they can get warren for , but i wouldnt throw a ton of money at the position. if Najee turns it down then thats the offer i make to Warren. oh and Najee was absent from the 3 day mandatory Mini camp and both he and Tomlin refused to comment on why he was a scratch.

i never gave much thought on Muth. i guess i forgot he was in his final year. before i read the article i would have said extend him, but i couldnt disagree with the authors reasoning for not extending. Muth is not a very good blocker, and he is not an exceptional athlete. i would make him a reasonable offer, but i'm not paying him like he is a top 5 TE. his production the last 3 years has been just OK, and he is accumulating and injury history. 3 documented concussions and 2 hamstring injuries.

to add more to the muth situation, houston gave dalton schultz a 3 year 36 mill extension. 7.7 signing bonus with 23.5 guaranteed. i think they are comparable players and would be a good starting point for negotiations.
the browns are paying Njoku an average of 13.7 mill a year. i would slot Muth behind him.

TJ and Warren for sure. I don't want to see Cam in a different uniform but even though it would suck it is a business. He knows that too, and as far as his comments it's not like he's tweeting out crazy BS. I think he'll get an offer lower than he wants and it'll be up to him at that point.
Throwing money at Daniels would be a gamble at best. He's a journeyman at best.
I've been waiting for Muth to break out but it hasn't happened. A lot of that falls on our QB situation and not having a real OC so far in his career. I want to see if Washington passes him this year. I'd wait this season out to see before offering him anything.
They can do the same thing with Najee. Let's see how well this new line can keep him clean and then decide if he's worth more.

Watt and Warren. The rest you can't let break the bank and don't deserve top tier money at this point. Heyward is just simply old and his performance is showing it as such.

SteelerFreak58 wrote:

Watt and Warren. The rest you can't let break the bank and don't deserve top tier money at this point. Heyward is just simply old and his performance is showing it as such.

but was Cam showing his age or was he showing his surgically repaired groin ? i mean he was as good as ever in 2022. he didnt just pull his groin , he tore it away from the bone.
cam claims it was the injury. he is asking the steelers to take a leap of faith that he is 100% healed and will be back to 2022 form for the next 3 years.
personally i have my doubts. i mean Cam could just take this year and prove it , but he is insisting that the steelers blindly invest future money / cap space to him.

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

SteelerFreak58 wrote:

Watt and Warren. The rest you can't let break the bank and don't deserve top tier money at this point. Heyward is just simply old and his performance is showing it as such.

but was Cam showing his age or was he showing his surgically repaired groin ? i mean he was as good as ever in 2022. he didnt just pull his groin , he tore it away from the bone.
cam claims it was the injury. he is asking the steelers to take a leap of faith that he is 100% healed and will be back to 2022 form for the next 3 years.
personally i have my doubts. i mean Cam could just take this year and prove it , but he is insisting that the steelers blindly invest future money / cap space to him.

Injuries stack with age. Cam has to fight twice as hard at 35 and heals slower. He doesn't recover faster either. It's a battle against time and time always wins.

The Steelers simply cannot give him a huge payday and expect to stay competitive. They have younger players that will need that money.

It's just business. To many people get sentimental. He has been a great player for the organization but business is buisness.

SteelerFreak58 wrote:

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

SteelerFreak58 wrote:

Watt and Warren. The rest you can't let break the bank and don't deserve top tier money at this point. Heyward is just simply old and his performance is showing it as such.

but was Cam showing his age or was he showing his surgically repaired groin ? i mean he was as good as ever in 2022. he didnt just pull his groin , he tore it away from the bone.
cam claims it was the injury. he is asking the steelers to take a leap of faith that he is 100% healed and will be back to 2022 form for the next 3 years.
personally i have my doubts. i mean Cam could just take this year and prove it , but he is insisting that the steelers blindly invest future money / cap space to him.

Injuries stack with age. Cam has to fight twice as hard at 35 and heals slower. He doesn't recover faster either. It's a battle against time and time always wins.

The Steelers simply cannot give him a huge payday and expect to stay competitive. They have younger players that will need that money.

It's just business. To many people get sentimental. He has been a great player for the organization but business is buisness.

i'm agree 100%. let him play out his contract, if he plays well make him an offer and let him test the market. the problem is, who is going to replace him ? if both he and ogunjobi depart next year the cupboard is pretty freakin bare. unless of course the rookie is waaaay better than his draft status , or one of the other disappointments takes a big leap forward. i think benton is going to be a star, but the rest of this Dline room ?  

Our D-line is at the same level our O-line was two years ago. I guess we make the same investments in our DL the next two years as we did in our OL and spend a first round pick there in next year's draft.

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

SteelerFreak58 wrote:

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

SteelerFreak58 wrote:

Watt and Warren. The rest you can't let break the bank and don't deserve top tier money at this point. Heyward is just simply old and his performance is showing it as such.

but was Cam showing his age or was he showing his surgically repaired groin ? i mean he was as good as ever in 2022. he didnt just pull his groin , he tore it away from the bone.
cam claims it was the injury. he is asking the steelers to take a leap of faith that he is 100% healed and will be back to 2022 form for the next 3 years.
personally i have my doubts. i mean Cam could just take this year and prove it , but he is insisting that the steelers blindly invest future money / cap space to him.

Injuries stack with age. Cam has to fight twice as hard at 35 and heals slower. He doesn't recover faster either. It's a battle against time and time always wins.

The Steelers simply cannot give him a huge payday and expect to stay competitive. They have younger players that will need that money.

It's just business. To many people get sentimental. He has been a great player for the organization but business is buisness.

i'm agree 100%. let him play out his contract, if he plays well make him an offer and let him test the market. the problem is, who is going to replace him ? if both he and ogunjobi depart next year the cupboard is pretty freakin bare. unless of course the rookie is waaaay better than his draft status , or one of the other disappointments takes a big leap forward.  i think benton is going to be a star, but the rest of this Dline room ?  

2 DLs in the first 3 rounds next year or FA to replace Cam and Ogenjobi. Got to get younger and we can't miss on those picks they have to be strong contributers.

it seems the Khanman and I are like minded. james daniels announced he was informed he will not receive an extension. i would be ok having james daniels as the swing backup G & C for maybe 5 mill a year. he isnt totally useless , but i dont see him as a solid starter. especially for what he is being paid.

https://steelersdepot.com/2024/06/james-daniels-says-steelers-informed-him-they-wont-extend-his-contract/

so the cheats signed Rhamondre Stevenson to a 4 year 36 million extension. dude has a single 1000 yd season sandwiched between 2 600 yd seasons. i liked stevenson coming out of college but noway has he earned 9 mill a year.
anywho dont think that najee didnt notice it.
Moats is speculating that maybe najee requested that they dont pick up his 5th year. Khan has said he would like to work out an extension with najee. hopefully this stevenson deal changes his mind. they cant pay him 9+ and still pay warren a fair deal. who was the last RB the steelers gave a big deal to ? bettis ?

Najee was just a really stupid pick. I said it before and I will say it over and over. He isnt worth high end RB money. I like him he is a solid RB but we have to be real smart with where the money goes.

You can take a lot of RBs and make them Rockstars if you have a good solid Oline.

SteelerFreak58 wrote:

Najee was just a really stupid pick. I said it before and I will say it over and over. He isnt worth high end RB money. I like him he is a solid RB but we have to be real smart with where the money goes.

You can take a lot of RBs and make them Rockstars if you have a good solid Oline.

yep. we did need an upgrade at RB, but we needed Oline way more. particularly a C and T. I suppose in hindsight we can be grateful they didn't take any of the available T's because none of them have really panned out as a starter. but the top 3 centers are all solid starters and 2 of them were pro bowl selections.

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

SteelerFreak58 wrote:

Najee was just a really stupid pick. I said it before and I will say it over and over. He isnt worth high end RB money. I like him he is a solid RB but we have to be real smart with where the money goes.

You can take a lot of RBs and make them Rockstars if you have a good solid Oline.

yep.  we did need an upgrade at RB, but we needed Oline way more. particularly a C and T. I suppose in hindsight we can be grateful they didn't take any of the available T's because none of them have really panned out as a starter. but the top 3 centers are all solid starters and 2 of them were pro bowl selections.

What pissed me off way more than the Najee pick was taking Muth over Humprey in the second round

Stella Nation wrote:

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

SteelerFreak58 wrote:

Najee was just a really stupid pick. I said it before and I will say it over and over. He isnt worth high end RB money. I like him he is a solid RB but we have to be real smart with where the money goes.

You can take a lot of RBs and make them Rockstars if you have a good solid Oline.

yep.  we did need an upgrade at RB, but we needed Oline way more. particularly a C and T. I suppose in hindsight we can be grateful they didn't take any of the available T's because none of them have really panned out as a starter. but the top 3 centers are all solid starters and 2 of them were pro bowl selections.

What pissed me off way more than the Najee pick was taking Muth over Humprey in the second round

Considering since we took Muth and have hardly actually ever utilized him... yeah we could have had Humphrey... I could see if they actually would have game planned to use Muth as an actual weapon but he has been a ghost on the field and then someone will remember we have a ROUND 2 TE pick we can throw to... then they have amnesia and go back to forgetting he exists...

i look for Muths roll in the passing game to increase under artie smith.  the dude likes his TE's. we fans memories only tend to go back to the most recent season. cause your only as good as your last season... but anywho , Muth was targeted 98 times in 2022. thats not 140-150 targets guys like travis kelcie gets but
only 7 TE's got over 100 targets last year. only 20 TE's received  70 or more targets last year.
in 2022 muth was tied for 5th most targeted TE.
also when your TE is tasked with pass blocking instead of running a pattern because your Olinemen cant be trusted that also hurts their stats.

if the steelers dont trade for a premium WR, i think thats a signal they intend to make Muth a focal point in the passing game.
the chiefs after losing tyreek hill are still winning super bowls with kelcie and a bunch of tier 2 receivers and an unimpressive running game.

tyrrek hill- "i want BIG money stacks"
the chiefs -  "take your greedy ass somwhere else, we'll win without you."

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

i look for Muths roll in the passing game to increase under artie smith.  the dude likes his TE's. we fans memories only tend to go back to the most recent season. cause your only as good as your last season... but anywho , Muth was targeted 98 times in 2022. thats not 140-150 targets guys like travis kelcie gets but
only 7 TE's got over 100 targets last year. only 20 TE's received  70 or more targets last year.
in 2022 muth was tied for 5th most targeted TE.
also when your TE is tasked with pass blocking instead of running a pattern because your Olinemen cant be trusted that also hurts their stats.

if the steelers dont trade for a premium WR, i think thats a signal they intend to make Muth a focal point in the passing game.
the chiefs after losing tyreek hill are still winning super bowls with kelcie and a bunch of tier 2 receivers and an unimpressive running game.

tyrrek hill- "i want BIG money stacks"
the chiefs -  "take your greedy ass somwhere else, we'll win without you."

I freaking love the graphic, MoP. The Chiefs just keep rolling.

I really like MUTH and he's been hugely underutilised in Pittsburgh - but when they did use him, he was very good. I am certainly hoping AS uses him and Washington.

2 TE sets with Muth and Darnell. Connor in the backfield with Harris or Warren. I expect to see all of the above on a regular basis.

i read an article that stated an OTA report said that Muth was often lining up in the slot.

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

i read an article that stated an OTA report said that Muth was often lining up in the slot.

They must feel like Wilson will have better protection from the Oline. I am all for letting Muth loose and using him as a weapon this year. Washington too. Some jump balls in the endzone that capitalizes on their height advantage would be nice to see. Never saw that once last year...

Washington 6'7"
Muth 6'5"
Pickens 6'4"

Not one one v one jump ball thrown to any of them last year that I can recall. A complete and total waste of their height advantages... complete lack of proper play planning and preparation if you ask me.

The Cam Heyward thing is tough, I think the media is playing up his comments to stir up drama. So I'm not going to buy much into what the media is cherry picking out of what he said.

That being said, I personally think I'd extend Cam. He's been a solid contributor for us and he's still well rounded even in his older age. He's also a locker room leader that's well respected by his peers. You can't really put a price on that. I don't think I'd mortgage the farm on him, and I understand the business side if the Steelers opt not to spend money on him. That being said I think letting him go would hurt this team in more ways than one. Yes he was hurt last year, but I think he's capable of returning to form. Maybe I'm wrong, but maybe I'm right. Who knows?

IowaSteeler927 wrote:

The Cam Heyward thing is tough, I think the media is playing up his comments to stir up drama. So I'm not going to buy much into what the media is cherry picking out of what he said.

That being said, I personally think I'd extend Cam. He's been a solid contributor for us and he's still well rounded even in his older age. He's also a locker room leader that's well respected by his peers. You can't really put a price on that. I don't think I'd mortgage the farm on him, and I understand the business side if the Steelers opt not to spend money on him. That being said I think letting him go would hurt this team in more ways than one. Yes he was hurt last year, but I think he's capable of returning to form. Maybe I'm wrong, but maybe I'm right. Who knows?

at what price and how much are you going to guarantee him ? it is a tricky situation. i'm sure they would like to keep Cam around, it most likely depends on how greedy he is going to be. the fact that at least twice he has said to a reporter he is not opposed to playing elsewhere tells me his asking price may be unreasonable.
i remember the steelers extended ramon foster when he was clearly caught by father time. it went just as expected. his play steadily got worse.
if they want to extend him they need to be smart about it and structure the contract to do minimal cap damage in the event they need to part ways before it expires. they need to keep a lot of the money in roster bonuses,

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

IowaSteeler927 wrote:

The Cam Heyward thing is tough, I think the media is playing up his comments to stir up drama. So I'm not going to buy much into what the media is cherry picking out of what he said.

That being said, I personally think I'd extend Cam. He's been a solid contributor for us and he's still well rounded even in his older age. He's also a locker room leader that's well respected by his peers. You can't really put a price on that. I don't think I'd mortgage the farm on him, and I understand the business side if the Steelers opt not to spend money on him. That being said I think letting him go would hurt this team in more ways than one. Yes he was hurt last year, but I think he's capable of returning to form. Maybe I'm wrong, but maybe I'm right. Who knows?

at what price and how much are you going to guarantee him ? it is a tricky situation. i'm sure they would like to keep Cam around, it most likely depends on how greedy he is going to be. the fact that at least twice he has said to a reporter he is not opposed to playing elsewhere tells me his asking price may be unreasonable.
i remember the steelers extended ramon foster when he was clearly caught by father time. it went just as expected. his play steadily got worse.
if they want to extend him they need to be smart about it and structure the contract to do minimal cap damage in the event they need to part ways before it expires. they need to keep a lot of the money in roster bonuses,

I rarely disagree with you MoP and I don't here. My Neice is a manager in retail where a lot of Steelers shop. She is friends with Troy and his Wife,Jerome,Hines and Cam. She attends Steeler fund raiser's with Art II's wife. We were at a get together this last week and she showed me a picture of her and Cam. I asked her about his contract and she said he told her he wanted to retire in Pittsburgh. I think the statements you heard were just a bargaining tool. After all it is a business. I guess we'll see soon enough if he retires a Steeler.

solardave wrote:

Master_Of_Puppets wrote:

IowaSteeler927 wrote:

The Cam Heyward thing is tough, I think the media is playing up his comments to stir up drama. So I'm not going to buy much into what the media is cherry picking out of what he said.

That being said, I personally think I'd extend Cam. He's been a solid contributor for us and he's still well rounded even in his older age. He's also a locker room leader that's well respected by his peers. You can't really put a price on that. I don't think I'd mortgage the farm on him, and I understand the business side if the Steelers opt not to spend money on him. That being said I think letting him go would hurt this team in more ways than one. Yes he was hurt last year, but I think he's capable of returning to form. Maybe I'm wrong, but maybe I'm right. Who knows?

at what price and how much are you going to guarantee him ? it is a tricky situation. i'm sure they would like to keep Cam around, it most likely depends on how greedy he is going to be. the fact that at least twice he has said to a reporter he is not opposed to playing elsewhere tells me his asking price may be unreasonable.
i remember the steelers extended ramon foster when he was clearly caught by father time. it went just as expected. his play steadily got worse.
if they want to extend him they need to be smart about it and structure the contract to do minimal cap damage in the event they need to part ways before it expires. they need to keep a lot of the money in roster bonuses,

I rarely disagree with you MoP and I don't here. My Neice is a manager in retail where a lot of Steelers shop. She is friends with Troy and his Wife,Jerome,Hines and Cam. She attends Steeler fund raiser's with Art II's wife. We were at a get together this last week and she showed me a picture of her and Cam. I asked her about his contract and she said he told her he wanted to retire in Pittsburgh. I think the statements you heard were just a bargaining tool. After all it is a business. I guess we'll see soon enough if he retires a Steeler.

oh it is absolutely a bargaining maneuver. he is trying to rush the steelers to give him a new contract with new guaranteed money ASAP. its all about the guaranteed money. this is the opposite of players taking one year prove it deal to show they can still play.
at  Cam's age he is just as worried he has been caught by father time then he is about injury. if he plays like dog shit this year without the guaranteed money his career and game checks come to a screeching halt. if he plays like dog shit this year with a new contract with guaranteed money... oh well, go ahead and cut me so i can retire and stack all that money you just gave me.
Cam has a base salary of 16 million this year. i still think they should hold off , let him play for his 16 million, and make him an offer based on this years play. let him test the market if he wants.

I think he should take the $16 mil, have a great year and then retire at the end of this season.