The Pittsburgh Steelers may have their eye on bully Mathieu after all. An ex-Steelers defender has a new home. Baker Mayfield is not happy. The New York Rangers are gaining ground against the Penguins. And a pirate name from days gone by has just claimed a major league win.
All of this in Thursday’s “First Call”.
honey badger bucks
One existing school of thought says the Steelers must have no interest in signing safety bully Mathieu.
Finally, they have an obvious need for security. Mathieu remains in free agency, without a contract. So if they wanted him, they would have signed him.
Right? Not so fast, according to the franchise’s own website.
In a Q&A post on Tuesday, Steelers.com’s Bob Labriola made it sound like the team does indeed want the “Honey Badger,” but only if their asking price for a contract drops.
“The Steelers have an interest in signing Tyrann Mathieu and they would have enough room to sign him on a two-year deal for what they believe they are worth. The question is whether Mathieu agrees with the Steelers’ assessment of his worth,” Labriola said.
According to OverTheCap.com, the Steelers have $13.2 million in cap space. That’s 18th in the NFL. But they still have numerous veteran contracts that they could restructure if necessary.
Mathieu earned $14.5 million in salary last season with the Kansas City Chiefs through Spotrac.
ProFootballTalk says that “The Rams, Eagles and Saints are all reportedly interested in Mathieu, although reports suggest he’s not particularly close to signing with anyone.”
Nelson’s new home
Steven Nelson has a new place to play.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the ex-Steelers cornerback is signing a two-year, $10 million deal to join the Houston Texans.
The Texans sign cornerback Steven Nelson on a two-year, $10 million deal per source. Houston gets a starting corner before the draft.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) April 13, 2022
Nelson played two solid seasons at Pittsburgh in 2019-20. After leaving the Steelers for Philadelphia in 2021, he recorded 50 total tackles with one interception and seven passes defended.
Boo Hoo Baker
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield isn’t happy with his current situation, and he’s letting the world know it.
Mayfield, who appeared on the YNK podcast, said he felt “disrespected” by the Cleveland Browns after they were traded for former Texan QB Deshaun Watson last month. Essentially, this ended Mayfield’s run at Cleveland after four seasons.
However, the former No. 1 overall pick is yet to be released or traded.
“I was told one thing and they did a completely different one,” Mayfield quipped, adding, “I’m ready for the next chapter.”
The Browns are believed to be actively trying to trade Mayfield. The former Oklahoma Sooner claims the Seattle Seahawks are “probably the most likely option” for him. They recently traded quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos.
Mayfield has a fully guaranteed $18.9 million contract into 2022 since Cleveland got his fifth-year option before last season.
“Peeling It” in Philly
The New York Rangers edged closer to first place in the Metropolitan Division on Wednesday night.
Also in second place they have taken a little more distance to the penguins.
New York knocked out the Philadelphia Flyers 4-0 after Alexandar Georgiev made 28 saves. Kaapo Kakko came on with two goals.
Straight to the money. pic.twitter.com/DDCTDPdM3a
— x – New York Rangers (@NYRangers) April 13, 2022
What a setup + what a fin. pic.twitter.com/zifDYA5pqO
— x – New York Rangers (@NYRangers) April 14, 2022
The Rangers now have 102 points, two behind the Carolina Hurricanes for first place in the Metro. The Penguins are in third place with 95.
On Thursday, the pens receive the islanders. The Canes, meanwhile, host the Detroit Red Wings, and fourth-placed Washington Capitals (92 points) travel to the Toronto Maple Leafs. All these games start at 7 p.m
He is still there?
Oliver Perez clinched the win for the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday.
Yes. This Oliver Perez. The one who last pitched for the Pirates in 2006. Now 40, he has already played in three games for the DBacks and made $1.25 million this season.
Perez arranged for a ground ball in the top of the 10th inning to retire the only man he faced. Then, at the bottom of the inning, Arizona won 3-2 to Houston Astros outfielder Chas McCormick thanks to that dropped fly ball.
we will take it @ketel_marte4 with the game-winning RBI. pic.twitter.com/I06bflhtvB
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) April 13, 2022
Prior to this miscue, McCormick had three hits that day. Arizona had lost their last four games by an aggregate score of 20-8.
Tim Benz is a contributor to the Tribune Review. You can contact Tim at [email protected] or via Twitter. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless otherwise noted.