LDN - Sports

NFL notebook: Steelers confirm Shazier won't play in '18

[March 01, 2018] Linebacker Ryan Shazier will not play for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2018.

"We know that, he knows that," Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said Wednesday at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Recovering from surgery that followed a spinal injury he sustained in a December game, Shazier continues to progress and attack rehabilitation. Shazier said recently on teammate Roosevelt Nix's podcast the possibility of returning to the football field is driving him each day.

"I've got to get back," said Shazier, who remains mum on the details of the injury. "Right now I'm reading a book and it's basically saying trust the process. I'm really trusting the process. I know the end goal."

--Quarterback Kirk Cousins' path to free agency is getting clearer.

Speaking at the NFL Scouting Combine, Washington Redskins senior vice president of player personnel Doug Williams called Cousins "a free agent for sure," though he wouldn't completely rule out the possibility of the team using the franchise tag on him a third time. That said, Williams quickly downplayed such.

"It's not too late," the former quarterback said. "But we haven't really talked about that. The media had come up with those scenarios more than what we've talked about it because I can't remember one meeting where we talked about the possibility of tagging him."

--Andrew Luck is not yet throwing a football, but Indianapolis Colts coach Frank Reich said the quarterback will be with the team April 2 for the start of the offseason program.

Reich said Luck is "checking a lot of boxes" in his rehab but is unsure when the QB will throw again. General manager Chris Ballard, who followed Reich to the podium at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indianapolis Convention Center, said it will "absolutely" help the team and Luck to have him back in the building.

"I think it's what he wants, it's what he misses," Ballard said. "It's one of the special things about this kid. He likes to be considered one of the teammates. The only other (star) player I've ever been around like that is (Brian) Urlacher. He just wants to be one of the guys."

--Ballard informed running back Frank Gore that the Colts plan to get younger at the position.

"I want to give Frank a chance to go see what's out there," Ballard said. "He likes it when you're honest with him."

Gore has 14,026 rushing yards in his career. He turns 35 in May and said at the end of the 2017 season he "definitely" plans to play in 2018.

--Defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson was informed that he will be released by the New York Jets.

With the move and running back Matt Forte's retirement announcement, the Jets are projected to enter free agency with $94.75 million to invest under the 2018 salary cap.

Wilkerson, 28, was due more than $19 million in 2018, and releasing him reduces the hit on the salary cap to $6 million, creating at least $12.5 million in cap space. Forte, 32, finished with 381 rushing yards and 293 receiving yards in an injury-hampered 2017 season.

--The Bears will release quarterback Mike Glennon when the new league year starts March 14, the team announced.

Glennon was just one season into a three-year, $45 million contract signed last offseason after the team let Jay Cutler go. Glennon lost his starting job to rookie Mitchell Trubisky during the season.

"With the quarterback position, I have no regrets in us being aggressive in attacking that position; it's that important," Bears general manager Ryan Pace said. "We all felt confident in Mike, and sometimes in our business, things don't work out."

--The Carolina Panthers released running back Jonathan Stewart, the franchise's all-time leading rusher.

The Panthers selected Stewart, 30, with the 13th pick of the first round of 2008 NFL Draft. He has 7,318 career rushing yards on 1,699 carries, also a franchise record. Stewart ran for 680 yards on a career-low 3.4 yards per attempt in the 2017 season.

"Jonathan played the game the way you want. He brought an element of toughness as a runner that set the tempo for our team," Panthers coach Ron Rivera said in a statement from the team. "He is a great pro, and I appreciate who he is as a young man and thank him for the contribution he made."

--Tyrann Mathieu keeps his head on a swivel, even in the offseason.

Cardinals general manager Steve Keim said Wednesday at the NFL Scouting Combine that no decision has been made on whether the team would retain Mathieu, a safety and linebacker hybrid in Arizona.

[to top of second column]

If Mathieu remains on the Cardinals' roster on March 14, he receives $19 million guaranteed. That includes $8 million in guaranteed base salary for 2018 and a $5 million roster bonus due March 16.

--General manager Dave Gettleman and new head coach Pat Shurmur doused any doubt the New York Giants are sticking with Eli Manning at quarterback in 2018.

"We believe that Eli Manning has got years left as a starting quarterback in this league," Shurmur said Wednesday morning at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Gettleman said the Giants will listen to offers for the No. 2 pick but provided the context that the team should get a "Hall of Fame" talent with the second selection in the draft.

--Limbo is the status quo for the Minnesota Vikings and their three quarterbacks.

Case Keenum, Sam Bradford and Teddy Bridgewater all are expected to be unrestricted free agents on March 14. Bridgewater's contract status will be determined by the NFL because he sat out the entire 2016 season and most of the 2017 season recovering from a knee injury.

"Just to be clear, there have been no decisions made," general manager Rick Spielman said at the NFL Scouting Combine. "We will continue to evolve this process. I'll go through the meetings this week with the agents, when we get back we'll circle back around and finalize a game plan as we go forward."

--Jadeveon Clowney took the proverbial next step in 2017, and the Texans intend to make sure his next performance happens in Houston.

General manager Brian Gaine, in his first season with the franchise having replaced Rick Smith in January, said at the NFL Scouting Combine the Texans are setting Clowney's contract as a high priority. Clowney will make $13,846,000 next season, which is the fifth-year option value for the 2014 No. 1 overall pick.

"That's something that we're currently evaluating right now," Gaine said, "the feasibility of that."

--Before free agency starts in two weeks, the Cleveland Browns expect to know whether Joe Thomas will return at left tackle.

Coming off of a season-ending triceps injury, Thomas has dropped significant weight and launched a popular podcast. But Browns head coach Hue Jackson believes there is more football left for Thomas.

"I've talked to Joe Thomas several times and I think Joe is going to make a decision, hopefully, fairly soon here. But, again, it's on his time," Jackson said at the NFL Scouting Combine. "Joe has been a tremendous Cleveland Brown and has done anything and everything we've asked of him. So, I think it's only right that we give him the opportunity to work through this and make the best decision for him."

--Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson is planning to approach the offseason the same way he tackled the 2017 season: In attack mode.

The Eagles are facing key personnel decisions coming off of the franchise's first Super Bowl victory, not the least of which concerns the pecking order at quarterback.

Pederson said backup Nick Foles, Super Bowl MVP and the author of a nearly flawless postseason in three games, understands he's "taking a back seat" to Carson Wentz on the depth chart. But when the line of questioning later deepened as to whether the Eagles could trade Foles, Pederson said, "We'll see how this thing unfolds."

--Jon Gruden, who returned as head coach of the Oakland Raiders on a $100 million contract in January, failed to contain his excitement over the offensive players he inherited when speaking to the media at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Quarterback Derek Carr, wide receiver Amari Cooper and, in a mild surprise, running back Marshawn Lynch are viewed as the core players of Gruden's West Coast-based offense.

Cooper, who played through injuries in December, "will be the focal point of our pass offense. He will be the headliner of our offense," Gruden said.

--The NFL reached a multiyear agreement with Pizza Hut to become the league's official pizza sponsor, one day after Papa John's and the NFL mutually agreed to part ways in their sponsorship agreement.

The league's deal with Pizza Hut is for four years and is worth more than the Papa John's deal, a source familiar with the agreement told CNN. The agreement gives Pizza Hut, which is owned by Yum Brands, an array of exclusive marketing rights.

The agreement with Pizza Hut runs through the 2021 season. The Papa John's deal was contracted to run through the 2020 season before it ended early.

--Field Level Media

Back to top