Steelers Signing

We reported last week that a deal was on the cusp of being struck between Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers and this week it has finally been agreed. Rodgers will fly out to Pittsburgh this week to sign a one-year deal with the Steelers. It is a long anticipated move that was predicted for a while but not one without it's issues. Certain Steelers players have previously voiced their concerns about Rodgers' age and hinted that he belongs in a retirement home. I can't say that I disagree. The Steelers will face Rodgers' previous team in week 1 of the season in New York where the Jets will hopefully show some improvement on the quality of their game since last season. 

Ravens Missing Players

In other AFC North news, noteable absences from the Baltimore OTAs left head coach, John Harbaugh, under the spotlight for answers. Veteran star Derrick Henry's absence is rumoured to be relating to his contract negotiations but he is not alone. Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and DeAndre Hopkins are other big names missing from activities. When asked, Harbaugh stated that he is not worried as he measures players "how they play, not the attendance" (Per NFL). He refused to give any comment on the contracts of the players and whether this was the reason that they were not attending OTAs. 

Madden Curse

Hot off of a Super Bowl win, Saquon Barkley's year continues to rocket him into superstar status. With the pending release of Madden 26, the cover was unveiled to reveal his iconic move of hurdling over his opposition. Fantasy football enthusiasts have voiced concerns over the supposed "Madden Curse" which, according to legend, results in the cover star suffering a terrible career year after being cover star for the game. The curse most recently took 49ers Christian McCaffrey out for all but 4 games of the 2025 season. Eagles fans have voiced some concerns but remain optimistic that Barkley won't be affected.

Giants Carnage

Finally this week, we head over to New York where the Giants OTAs session had to be stopped due to fighting. It started with Brian Burns and James Hudson removing their helmets to square off at each other. This resulted in them being banished to the sideline to cool off. No sooner had this been de-escalated when Kayvon Thibodeaux and Jermaine Eluemunor got heated with Thibodeaux punching Eluemunor's helmet off. Hudson rushed from the sideline and tackled Thibodeaux to the ground. 

Head coach, Brian Daboll expressed his thoughts stating "I feel like it's healthy to certain extent" and the players involved blame the heat and exhaustion for flared tempers. Burns claims "it ain't that deep. We squashed it."

With less than 90 days until the season starts, the excitement for all of us is rising - I personally cannot wait for that first kick off and several sleepless months of late night football games.