Black & Yellow | Pittsburgh Steelers M26

[Soapy]

WR | Rondale Moore (83)

RIP

[JohnStJohn1987]

Will Howard out here handing out Interceptions like candy on Halloween lmaoooo

[redsox907]

Ain't no way you're gonna drop a game to a Sauce-less Jets team, right?

hey they got LaNorris now, they ballin. Went 12-5 last year

WR | Rondale Moore (83)

RIP

oh shit I didn't even think about that...

Will Howard out here handing out Interceptions like candy on Halloween lmaoooo

life comes at you fast

[redsox907]

Steelers Facing Harsh Cap Reality With Richardson's Suspension

Pittsburgh, PA. - The Pittsburgh Steelers are 1-2 through three weeks of the 2028 season, navigating life without their franchise quarterback while trying to remain competitive in one of the NFL's toughest conferences. That alone would be enough to keep General Manager Omar Khan busy. But the football struggles are only part of the story right now in Pittsburgh, where a looming contract crisis — one directly tied to the unresolved status of Anthony Richardson — threatens to complicate the franchise's future as much as anything happening on the field.

Sources with knowledge of the Steelers' financial situation told ESPN that Pittsburgh currently carries approximately $8 million in available cap space, a number that is being held hostage by the Richardson situation. Until the legal process reaches a resolution — whether through a plea agreement, a verdict, or a negotiated settlement with the NFLPA — the Steelers cannot formally void Richardson's five-year, $360 million contract. That means his cap number remains on the books, tying the organization's hands at precisely the moment they can least afford it.

The timing could not be worse. A significant number of Pittsburgh's core players are either approaching free agency or actively seeking contract extensions, and with $8 million in room to work with, Khan finds himself in the unenviable position of trying to retain a championship caliber roster on a shoestring budget.

The list of players seeking new deals reads like a who's who of the Steelers' identity on both sides of the ball.

T.J. Watt, still among the most dominant defensive players in the NFL, is seeking a one-year extension valued at $32.3 million — a number that reflects both his market value and what league sources describe as a desire to remain in Pittsburgh for the remainder of his career. Jalen Ramsey is seeking a one-year deal worth $20.6 million. Offensive tackle Troy Fautanu, widely regarded as one of the better young blindside protectors in the league, is seeking a three-year extension at $70.4 million — a deal that would represent a significant long-term commitment from an organization currently unable to make significant long-term commitments. Tight end Pat Freiermuth is seeking three years at $41.8 million. Linebacker Payton Wilson, who has emerged as one of the more complete linebackers in the AFC, is seeking four years at $47.1 million. Running back Keaton Mitchell is seeking three years at $17.7 million. Defensive end Jack Sawyer is seeking two years at $23.9 million. Free safety Alohi Gilman, who has held off the challenge from rookie Jermaine Ward through the early portion of the season, is seeking two years at $9.68 million. And kicker Brandon Aubrey, whose clutch performances have already proven his value in the young season, is seeking a one-year deal at $6.72 million.

The combined value of those requests totals well north of $270 million. Against a current cap availability of $8 million, the math is, to put it generously, challenging.

"Every one of those guys has earned the right to be compensated," one source inside the organization told ESPN. "And Omar knows that. The problem isn't the willingness. The problem is the Richardson number sitting on the books and nowhere to go until the legal process tells us where we stand."

That legal process, sources tell ESPN, is beginning to accelerate — at least by the standards of the Indiana court system.

Richardson was arraigned in late July and entered a not guilty plea, as expected. Since then, attorney Marcus Holloway has been aggressive in filing pre-trial motions, most notably a motion centered on Indiana's self-defense statutes and the circumstances of the robbery that preceded the shooting. Marion County Prosecutor Sandra Elkins has countered at each turn, and the back and forth between the two legal teams has consumed much of the late summer and early fall.

Sources familiar with the proceedings told ESPN that a preliminary hearing is expected to be scheduled before the end of October, and that both sides are now in possession of the full body of evidence — security footage, ballistics reports, Jada Collins' complete witness statement, and the toxicology results from Richardson's sobriety evaluation the night of the arrest. The general expectation among legal observers is that the preliminary hearing will set the stage for either a trial date or — perhaps more likely given the complexity and profile of the case — an accelerated push toward a negotiated resolution.

For Richardson, who has spent the first month of the NFL season watching from the sidelines while his teammates fight to keep the Steelers afloat, sources describe a man who is "mentally exhausted" by the process and increasingly motivated to reach a resolution that allows him to begin rebuilding his life.

For the Steelers, that resolution cannot come soon enough. Every week the Richardson cap number sits unresolved is another week Khan cannot have honest conversations with Watt, Fautanu, Ramsey, and the rest of a roster that has earned the right to know where they stand.

"We're doing everything we can to take care of our guys," Khan said when asked about the contract situation on a call with reporters last week. "We're aware of what we have and what we need to do. We just need the process to play out."

It is, by any measure, an extraordinary situation for a franchise that entered 2028 expecting to be celebrating a third consecutive Super Bowl run. Instead, the Steelers find themselves 1-2, financially constrained, and waiting on a courtroom in Indianapolis to tell them what their future looks like.

[Caesar]

Time for Khan to show us he tough by building a team on a shoestring budget

[JohnStJohn1987]

From bad to worse...

[djp73]

Well you’ve certainly created a challenge for yourself

[ShireNiner]

AR going to jail. Easy predictions for $100, please.

Signing white boy Coop just so Nikki Bella is at the games. I see you.

[redsox907]

Time for Khan to show us he tough by building a team on a shoestring budget

From bad to worse...

Well you’ve certainly created a challenge for yourself

yeah - not having $360M on the field playing is certainly fucking us atm

AR going to jail. Easy predictions for $100, please.

Signing white boy Coop just so Nikki Bella is at the games. I see you.

We get Nikki there, we can convince more guys to show up

its like recruiting 101

[redsox907]

Defensive Stand Sparks Rally As Steelers Open Acrisure With A Win


Patrick Queen's interception in the 4th-quarter set up the go-ahead touchdown in an explosive finish for the Steelers as they opened Acrisure Stadium with a 37-27 win over New York.

ScoringSummary

Team	Q	Time	Play	New York	Pittsburgh
	1st	6:!1	Mason Shipley, 49 Yd FG	3	0
	1st	0:57	Quinshon Judkins, 1 Yd Run	3	7
	2nd	6:15	Brandon Aubrey, 57 Yd FG	3	10
	2nd	1:20	Brandon Aubrey, 43 Yd FG	3	13
	2nd	0:21	Brandon Aubrey, 33 Yd FG	3	16
	2nd	0:06	Breece Hall, 75 Yd Run	10	16
	3rd	9:47	Garrett Wilson, 75 Yd Pass From LaNorris Sellers	17	16
	3rd	5:59	Mason Shipley, 40 Yd FG	20	16
	4th	4:51	Keaton Mitchell, 5 Yd Pass From Will Howard	20	23
	4th	2:36	Quinshon Judkins, 7Yd Run	20	30
	4th	1:34	Breece Hall, 44 Yd Pass From LaNorris Sellers	27	30
	4th	1:20	Ryan Williams, 40 Yd Pass From Will Howard	27	37

Pittsburgh, PA. - Acrisure Stadium got its first win of the 2028 season Sunday, and Quinshon Judkins made sure it was worth the wait.

The Pittsburgh Steelers survived a pair of explosive Jets plays and a fourth quarter deficit to defeat New York 37-27 in the home opener, with Judkins carrying the offense on his back for the second consecutive week — churning out 214 rushing yards and two more touchdowns in a performance that is rapidly turning the former Cleveland castoff into one of the more compelling stories of the early season.

Pittsburgh appeared in control for much of the first half, building what looked like a comfortable 16-3 lead heading into the break. Then Breece Hall reminded everyone why he is one of the most dangerous playmakers in the AFC. Finding a seam along the outside and hitting another gear once in open space, Hall turned a routine carry into a 75-yard touchdown sprint that sent the Jets sideline into a frenzy and fundamentally shifted the energy of the afternoon.

New York carried that momentum directly out of the locker room. On the Jets' first possession of the second half, LaNorris Sellers sold a play action fake that the Steelers bit on hard, then pulled up and found a streaking Garrett Wilson 75 yards downfield. Just like that New York led 17-16, and Acrisure Stadium had gone quiet.

The score remained close and uncomfortable through much of the third quarter and into the fourth, with the Jets extending their advantage to 20-16. Pittsburgh's offense had stalled, a failed fourth down conversion had given New York the ball back in promising field position, and the afternoon was beginning to feel like a familiar story.

Then Patrick Queen stepped in front of a LaNorris Sellers pass, and everything changed.

The interception jolted the Steelers and the crowd back to life simultaneously, and Pittsburgh's offense responded with the kind of fourth quarter they had been searching for all season — 21 points in the final frame, enough to turn a four point deficit into a ten point victory and send the Jets scrambling in a desperate attempt to recover that never materialized.

Judkins was the engine of it all.

"This is what we wanted — open the season in front of our fans and get them a W," Judkins said postgame. "They're the best fans in the nation and they deserve that."

The joy in the locker room was tempered somewhat by defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who was pointed in his assessment of a unit that has now surrendered multiple explosive plays in back-to-back weeks.

"We need to figure things out defensively, and fast," Flores said. "The focus is on the offense and we understand that, but we've got to do a better job of picking those guys up."

Pittsburgh improves to 2-2 and stays home next week for a quick rematch against the rival Cleveland Browns.


Will Howard | 17/28, 183 Yds, 2 TD
LaNorris Sellers | 19/26, 264 Yds, 2 TD, INT

Quinshon Judkins | 37 Att, 214 Yds, 2 TD
Breece Hall | 8 Att, 70 Yds, TD; 5 Rec, 72 Yds, TD

Ryan Williams | 3 Rec, 59 Yds, TD
Garrett Wilson | 3 Rec, 97 Yds, TD

EDDE TJ Watt | 7 Tkl, 5 TFL, 1.5 Sacks
LB Payton Wilson | 2 Tkl, 2 TFL, 2 Sacks
MLB Patrick Queen | 4 Tkl, 2 TFL, INT
MLB Elijah Hardiman | 12 Tkl, 4 TFL
SS Tony Adams | 18 Tkl
LB Jermaine Johnson II | 5 Tkl, TFL