The Pittsburgh Steelers have placed a rarely used unrestricted free agent tender on veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers ahead of the post-draft deadline to protect their compensatory draft pick rights.
The strategic move ensures the franchise will receive valuable draft compensation if the 40-year-old signs with another NFL team before 22 July.
It also grants Pittsburgh exclusive negotiating rights if a deal is not reached with a rival organisation by that date or the start of training camp.
Under the conditions of the tender, the veteran could simply accept a 10% raise on his previous salary, earning him approximately $15m for the upcoming season.
Confidence remains over new deal
Despite applying the tag, team officials reportedly consider the manoeuvre purely procedural and remain highly confident of securing his signature.
Such tenders are highly uncommon in the modern era because players of his exceptional calibre rarely remain unsigned at this advanced stage of the league year.
The former Green Bay Packers star navigated a similar timeline last year, ultimately agreeing to a one-year contract just days before mandatory minicamp in June.
General manager Omar Khan previously expressed optimism at the NFL scouting combine that negotiations would conclude much faster during the current off-season.
Quarterback room expansion
While awaiting a final decision from their marquee signal-caller, the AFC North side proactively bolstered their offensive depth during the recent draft.
The team selected highly rated Penn State prospect Drew Allar in the third round to join a developing roster.
New head coach Mike McCarthy insists the rookie’s arrival will have absolutely no bearing on the ongoing contract discussions with their primary starter.
“This is about developing the room and trying to make the room as deep as we possibly can.”
McCarthy added that the focus remains entirely on building healthy competition alongside existing backups Will Howard and Mason Rudolph.
The squad will reconvene for their first voluntary organised team activities on 18 May, before mandatory minicamp begins in early June.
The Philadelphia Eagles have made NFL history by selecting Nigerian athlete Uar Bernard, a player with no prior American football experience, in the seventh round of the draft.
The 21-year-old was chosen as the 251st overall pick just four months after he began training for the sport.
Usually, franchises use the annual three-day event to select promising college prospects who possess a solid grounding in the game.
International Player Pathway success
The African prospect initially caught the attention of scouts while playing basketball and was subsequently invited to NFL camps on his home continent.
These specialised camps culminated in a coveted spot on the International Player Pathway programme.
During the programme’s Pro Day, the 6ft 4in prospect recorded a perfect 10.0 Relative Athlete Score to turn the heads of the Philadelphia scouting department.
Formidable physical attributes
Weighing 139 kilograms with only six percent body fat, the towering rookie possesses remarkable physical traits for the professional league.
He also demonstrated explosive athletic ability by running the 40-yard dash in 4.63 seconds and achieving a 39-inch vertical jump.
The two-time Super Bowl champions clearly believe their new recruit possesses immense promise despite his unconventional sporting background.
“We wanted to take the chance on [Bernard],” stated Eagles general manager Howie Roseman.
“We’ve had great success with that programme.”
Finding late-round value
Locating hidden gems late in the selection process is notoriously difficult, though legendary quarterback Tom Brady famously emerged from the 199th pick in 2000.
The NFC East franchise will now hope their bold investment in raw athletic power yields similar long-term rewards.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has revealed that a lack of recent playoff success influenced his February resignation, as he confirmed a new broadcasting role with NBC.
The respected coach departed the franchise earlier this year after a highly successful tenure that had recently stalled in the postseason.
Speaking to Maria Taylor in his first interview since stepping down, the veteran play-caller admitted that his experienced roster needed a fresh voice in the locker room.
“I thought it was a good time for the organization, to be quite honest with you,” Tomlin stated.
“We didn’t have a lot of success in the playoffs in recent years.”
The historic Pennsylvania franchise has notably failed to secure a postseason victory since the 2016 campaign.
Transition to broadcasting
Following his departure from the sidelines, the former Super Bowl-winning boss has officially joined NBC as a football analyst.
He will feature on the network’s Sunday night pregame programme, which is set to broadcast on location at various stadiums throughout the upcoming NFL season.
“I just thought it’d be a great way to stay connected to the game and the awesome people in it,” he explained.
The new television pundit acknowledged feeling some natural apprehension about his career change, but described the discomfort as a positive catalyst for growth.
Rodgers predicted to stay
In his first public piece of analysis, the NBC contributor weighed in on the future of veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers, who spent the past 12 months working closely with the former Pittsburgh boss, has yet to formally confirm his playing status for the upcoming season.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the experienced signal-caller, his former coach remains confident he will be the team’s quarterback in 2026.
“Man, if you got a gun to my head, I’d say it’s AR,” he said regarding the starting position.
“He’s got a love affair with the game of football and not only the game, but the process, the informal moments, the development of younger guys.”
Reflecting on his transition away from coaching, the newly appointed studio analyst noted that he recently experienced his first NFL draft as a spectator rather than a decision-maker.
The Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets and Cleveland Browns have been awarded top marks for their roster-building selections in a frantic 2026 NFL Draft.
A remarkable 41 trades were completed across the three-day event, including eight blockbuster deals during Thursday’s opening round.
Four franchises received the highest possible ‘A’ grade from draft experts following their impressive manoeuvring of the selection board.
Conversely, the Los Angeles Rams drew widespread criticism after making a highly questionable reach for quarterback Ty Simpson midway through the first round.
Browns secure crucial offensive reinforcements
The AFC North franchise entered the annual recruitment event requiring urgent assistance on their offensive line and at the wide receiver position.
Armed with two first-round selections at number six and 24, they successfully secured highly-rated offensive tackle Spencer Fano.
That marquee acquisition was swiftly followed by the addition of dynamic receiver Austin Barber to bolster their perimeter attacking options.
Complete overhaul of the protection unit
Cleveland fielded an astonishing 14 different offensive-line combinations last season due to a severe injury crisis.
The Ohio-based outfit have since seen key stalwarts like Wyatt Teller depart for Houston, while Joel Bitonio and Jack Conklin currently remain unsigned.
In response, the front office aggressively pursued veteran reinforcements by trading for Tytus Howard and signing former Green Bay standout Elgton Jenkins.
The vital drafting of Fano now provides a long-term solution at left tackle to protect the quarterback in the upcoming campaign.
NFL free agent Michael Pennel Jr has been identified as a person of interest by authorities in the Dominican Republic after the body of a missing woman was discovered on a property he previously owned.
The 34-year-old defensive tackle owned a home in the northern coastal tourist town of Sosúa when 22-year-old Carli Franchesca Guzmán Roche disappeared in September 2021.
Two sources close to the investigation confirmed to ESPN that the American athlete is now being examined as part of an active homicide inquiry.
The remains were unearthed in January when a worker dug a trench on the estate, which the former Kansas City Chiefs player sold last year.
Officials formally identified the deceased recently by matching DNA with a sample from her eight-year-old son.
Pennel strongly denies involvement
The veteran defensive lineman has fiercely rejected any connection to the tragedy.
This isn’t a story. I’m not legally involved. This is fake news being reported.
The Super Bowl LIV champion stated he had not been contacted by local law enforcement regarding the grim discovery.
His Dominican attorney, Alexander Valbuena, asserted that his client did not know the victim and was not in the Caribbean nation at the time she vanished.
Valbuena added that the player’s primary concern is getting to the bottom of the situation and has offered full cooperation to investigators.
Timeline of the disappearance
The national attorney general’s office noted that Guzmán had last been heard from on 5 September 2021, shortly after relocating to the gated community area.
At the time of her disappearance, the defensive specialist was briefly without a team.
He was released by the Chicago Bears on 31 August 2021, before signing with the Atlanta Falcons on 15 September.
Guzmán’s grandmother, Paula González, indicated that the family had no idea why the young student might have been at the Sosúa residence.
She was pretty, a student, very loving. Everyone loved her. She had lots of friends.
Authorities have reopened the case and continue to conduct interviews as the early stages of the homicide investigation unfold.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have selected former Penn State quarterback Drew Allar in the third round of the NFL draft while the franchise awaits a decision on Aaron Rodgers’ playing future.
The AFC North franchise secured the 6-foot-5 prospect with the 76th overall pick on Friday night.
He arrives in Pennsylvania with the team’s quarterback situation heavily dependent on whether 42-year-old Rodgers chooses to retire.
The veteran signal-caller is currently mulling his options, leaving a depth chart that also features Mason Rudolph and Will Howard in a state of flux.
Ankle injury halts promising college finale
Allar saw his final collegiate season end abruptly last October after suffering a broken ankle against the Northwestern Wildcats.
Prior to the setback, the highly-rated passer had accumulated 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns across six appearances.
He had entered the campaign as one of the nation’s premier talents following a stellar run to the College Football Playoff semifinals in 2024.
The Nittany Lions eventually fell to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, but their talisman finished that year with 3,347 passing yards and 24 scores.
Rewriting the university record books
Despite recent injury concerns, the 235-pound athlete departs the collegiate ranks with an impressive statistical legacy.
He topped the Big Ten conference in 2023 with 25 passing touchdowns while surrendering a mere two interceptions.
The imposing passer finished his university career as the program’s all-time leader in completion percentage at 63.2%.
He also cemented his place in local history by ranking third for career passing touchdowns with 61 and fourth in total passing yards.
The Arizona Cardinals have selected former Miami quarterback Carson Beck with the 65th overall pick in the NFL Draft, adding to a crowded quarterback room.
The NFC West franchise used the first selection of the third round to secure the prospect on Friday.
This decision complicates an already congested roster situation for the team under centre.
Beck will join a depth chart that currently features veteran Jacoby Brissett, recent free-agent acquisition Gardner Minshew and Kedon Slovis.
Draft strategy pivots after missing Simpson
Speculation had strongly linked Arizona to former Alabama prospect Ty Simpson in the weeks leading up to the three-day event.
Many analysts expected the organisation to trade back into the first round to secure his services.
However, the Los Angeles Rams thwarted those plans by drafting Simpson with the 13th overall pick on Thursday evening.
Brissett absence adds uncertainty
The arrival of the former Georgia standout creates further intrigue given Brissett’s ongoing contract dispute.
The experienced signal-caller, who started 12 games for the team last season, has so far boycotted the franchise’s voluntary offseason programme.
Brissett is reportedly holding out from team activities while he awaits a lucrative new deal.
A proven collegiate winner
The newly drafted rookie arrives in the professional ranks boasting an impressive 37-6 record as a starter during his university career.
The prolific passer brings elite big-game experience, having appeared in three national championship matchups.
Over 55 collegiate appearances, he accumulated 88 touchdown passes compared to just 32 interceptions.
The highly-touted prospect also recorded an exceptionally accurate 69.5% completion rate throughout his time in college.
Interestingly, his penultimate college outing took place at State Farm Stadium, which serves as the permanent home field for his new NFL employers.
The Philadelphia Eagles have acquired linebacker Jonathan Greenard from the Minnesota Vikings on Friday in a trade accompanied by a new four-year, $100m contract.
Philadelphia sent the 98th overall pick in this year’s draft and a 2025 third-round selection to Minnesota.
In return, they receive the 28-year-old pass rusher along with a seventh-round pick in 2026.
The lucrative extension includes $50m in guaranteed money, according to his representation.
Eagles pivot after missing out on Phillips
Securing a quality edge rusher has been a major priority for the franchise throughout this offseason.
Philadelphia initially targeted a reunion with Jaelan Phillips ahead of the free agency period.
However, the Carolina Panthers priced them out of the market by offering Phillips a massive four-year, $120m deal.
That prompted a swift move for the former Houston Texans defensive standout.
Looking to recapture double-digit sack form
The newest arrival in Pennsylvania will be eager to bounce back from a relatively quiet recent campaign.
He managed just three sacks in 12 appearances during his final season in the NFC North.
Despite that dip in production, he previously recorded consecutive double-digit sack seasons.
He now bolsters an outside linebacker rotation featuring Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt and Arnold Ebiketie.
The veteran brings significant experience, boasting 38 career sacks across six professional seasons.