Pittsburgh Steelers

The Week 14 Ravens-Steelers game featured multiple mistakes by the officials. At the time, the NFL admitted one. Today, the league admitted another.

The third was apparently admitted, until it wasn’t.

For starters, the league admitted after the game that an unnecessary roughness penalty called on defensive tackle Travis Jones was not a foul. On Tuesday, the NFL confirmed to PFT that the decision to use replay review to reverse a Ravens interception by linebacker Teddye Buchanan into a catch by Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was an error.

Along the way, the league did — then didn’t — say that the controversial touchdown catch by Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely was incorrectly overturned to an incompletion. The NFL’s official position continues to be that the decision was accurate. (We still believe it was a catch, with the replay process focusing on whether Likely took a third step and ignoring the other ways to complete the process.)

Multiple Ravens players have noticed today’s developments. Said quarterback Lamar Jackson on Twitter, “So technically we won? 10-7. 1st offseason win ever.”

Ravens linebacker Kyle Van Noy had more to add.

“Have we ever seen the NFL come out months after a game has been played (a couple weeks after the entire nfl season finished) and admitted they didn’t get 1 huge crucial call in the biggest NFL rivalry game,” Van Noy tweeted. “But they got 2 Crucial calls in same Game wrong!!! So the total was 3 horrible calls in 1 game…. That’s insane! 1. INT Rodgers , 2. Likely touchdown , and 3. Travis Jones 15 yarder on field goal (they came out with this Tuesday after the game saying they got it wrong). Wow !!!! Accountability kinda sorta not really but something kinda… We need some sort of action now because this can not happen at the highest level. I understand 1 but 3????? Smh.”

SMH indeed. The mistakes directly impacted the outcome of a key AFC North game, and may have directly impacted the division championship, with the Steelers and not the Ravens advancing to the postseason.

One of the strangest plays of the 2025 NFL season was called correctly on the field, only to be overturned by replay review.

In the Week 14 Ravens-Steelers game, Aaron Rodgers threw a pass that was batted back to him, and Rodgers grabbed the ball, as did Ravens linebacker Teddye Buchanan. They wrestled for it as Rodgers went to the ground, Buchanan ended up with it, and the officials on the field ruled it an interception. Then a replay review ruled that Rodgers had possession of the ball with a knee down, and Rodgers caught the pass.

That replay review was incorrect. A league spokesman confirmed to PFT that when NFL Executive VP of Football Operations Troy Vincent said there were replay reviews the league wishes it could have back, that ruling of a Rodgers catch was one of them. It should have been an interception.

That play was a big moment in the fourth quarter of a big win for the Steelers, as it allowed the Steelers to run another minute off the clock and resulted in a 50-yard field position swing between where the Ravens would have had the ball if the interception had stood, and where the Ravens got the ball after the Steelers punted. Considering that the Ravens ended up narrowly losing, and ultimately losing the AFC North because of that loss, it’s a huge disappointment to Ravens fans that the replay review process overturned the correct call on the field.

Now that the league office has had time to carefully scrutinize the play, PFT is told that the Rodgers play should have been ruled the same way as the Bills’ interception in overtime of their playoff loss to the Broncos. On that play, Bills receiver Brandin Cooks did have the ball as he went to the ground, but he did not complete the process of the catch by maintaining possession on the ground. Denver’s Ja’Quan McMillian snatched the ball away from Cooks and secured the interception, just as Buchanan snatched the ball away from Rodgers and secured the interception.

On McMillian’s interception, the ruling on the field stood. It should have stood on Buchanan’s interception as well.

While there’s no guarantee quarterback Aaron Rodgers will play in the 2026 season, the Steelers would like to have him back.

General Manager Omar Khan said at the scouting combine on Tuesday that Pittsburgh is keeping the proverbial light on for Rodgers.

“The door’s open to have Aaron back,” Khan said Tuesday. “I’ve had conversations with him — I spoke to him last week. [Head coach] Mike McCarthy’s spoken to him. He knows how we feel about him. Right now, we’re proceeding [as if] he’s a free agent and he’s not on the roster. But, he knows how we feel about him.”

Rodgers, who turned 42 in December, is thought to be contemplating retirement. But Khan noted he doesn’t have much of a sense as to whether Rodgers’ decision will come down to just retiring or playing for the Steelers in 2026. With Rodgers as a free agent, he could also end up elsewhere.

“You know, that’s a question for Aaron,” Khan said. “He knows how we feel and we know how he feels. It was a good experience for both sides. Unfortunate we didn’t reach our goals on winning the games we wanted to win at the end. But there’s a mutual respect there.”

Khan, however, also said he doesn’t anticipate the situation with Rodgers and the Steelers to drag on as it did in 2025. While there was clear interest in the two sides throughout last offseason, Rodgers didn’t officially sign with the club until June 6.

“I think the circumstances are a little different,” Khan said. “But just conversations we had, I think neither side wants to have this drag on like it did last year.”

Rodgers started 16 games for Pittsburgh last year, completing 65.7 percent of his passes for 3,322 yards with 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He then completed 17-of-33 passes for 146 yards with an interception in the club’s playoff loss to the Texans.

One of the biggest calls of this NFL season came in the Week 14 Ravens-Steelers game, when Baltimore’s Isaiah Likely scored what appeared to be a go-ahead touchdown with 2:47 remaining in the fourth quarter, only to have the on-field officials’ ruling overturned by replay. Now NFL Executive VP of Football Operations Troy Vincent is suggesting the on-field officials were right, and the replay reversal was wrong.

Vincent told Mark Maske that the Likely play was among a handful of replay rulings that the league office has had second thoughts about.

“There was two plays in particular,” Vincent said. “There was the Likely play . . . Ravens-Steelers in the end zone. And then you had the one—there was a Jets play. But it was the Likely play that you go, that was interesting because of the third step and they were talking about the ball extended out. So it was: What constitutes that third act?”

It doesn’t engender a lot of confidence in the league’s officiating when league executives are still not clear on what constitutes a third act necessary to completing a catch. And Vincent’s statement doesn’t conclusively say that the replay overturn was wrong. But it sounds like the league now thinks the ruling on the field of a Ravens touchdown should have stood.

If the touchdown had counted, the Ravens probably would have won that game. Change the result of that game, and the Ravens win the AFC North, as they would have finished tied with the Steelers in the standings and would have won the tiebreaker based on a better division record. If the Ravens had won the AFC North, John Harbaugh might still be their coach. Someone else would be coaching the Giants. A whole lot would be different.

Vincent acknowledged that there were some replay reviews he is second-guessing, and he said most of those came in the early Sunday afternoon window when there are several games going on at once and the league’s replay office is slammed.

“When you watch, there was about five plays,” Vincent said. “Of the 171 plays that we called on replay or replay assist that came back to the booth, there were five that we said if we had to do it again, on just the replay assist, in general. Of that 171 that occurred during [the] regular season, there were five after we kind of took a step back and breathed-four of them [were] in the 1 o’clock window. Just volume and you go, ‘Ah, if we had to do that one again, just looking at it.’ ”

The idea that NFL officiating is going to be worse in the 1 o’clock window because the league officiating office has too many games to follow at once should not be acceptable to anyone. The league needs to make sure its officiating office is fully staffed at all times, with competent officials who can make the right call. Every time.

UPDATE 8:39 a.m. ET: An NFL spokesman clarified with PFT that while the Likely play was discussed in detail, it was not one of the handful that Vincent was referring to that the league would like to have back.

UPDATE: 11:34 a.m. ET: The NFL has confirmed that Vincent did acknowledge another play in that Steelers-Ravens game, an interception thrown by Aaron Rodgers, was ruled correctly on the field and should not have been overturned on replay.

Every year, the coaching carousel spins first. Then, the quarterback carousel whirls.

It’s coming soon. Veteran quarterbacks will be cut, traded, signed. Teams will reshuffle their depth charts with changes at the most important position on the team.

In a recent item about the potential contract prospects of Packers (for now) backup Malik Willis, some of the veteran options were listed. Here’s a look at the various teams that will have decisions to make regarding veteran quarterbacks currently on the roster, or to be added once the new league year begins.

Dolphins: They have a decision to make about Tua Tagovailoa. The Dolphins owe him $54 million in 2026. The two-year (or one-year, if they choose to rip the Band-Aid in one motion) dead-cap charge for cutting Tua would be $99.2 million. They need to decide what to do with Tua, and whether to add a veteran — like Willis. They’d surely love to find a way to trade Tua, even if it means selling some of the cap charge to another team by attaching a draft pick to Tua’s contract. And since they owe him every penny of his 2026 pay, they could choose to keep him around. (That would fully guarantee another $3 million for 2027, however.)

Jets: Justin Fields likely will be cut. Half of his $20 million salary for 2026 is fully guaranteed. They’ll likely be looking for a veteran, possibly on a short-term basis, to run new coordinator Frank Reich’s offense.

Steelers: They’re willing to wait for Aaron Rodgers, which would take them out of play for a veteran in the early days of free agency. Willis or Cousins could be intriguing options, if they find out before March 11 that Rodgers won’t be returning.

Browns: Who knows what they’ll do? Deshaun Watson is under contract for another year, at $46 million. Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel are, too. Will the new half-regime led by coach Todd Monken want a veteran from the outside?

Ravens: In the unlikely event the Ravens trade Lamar Jackson, they’d need a new quarterback — presumably one with starting experience.

Colts: Daniel Jones, who is recovering from a torn Achilles, likely will be back. Anthony Richardson has one year left on his rookie deal; he’s under contract for 2026 at guaranteed pay of $5.385 million. If Jones leaves, the Colts would need another veteran.

Raiders: They owe Geno Smith $18.5 million for 2026. Another $8 million becomes fully guaranteed on March 13. Would someone trade for him at $26.5 million? He could be cut. The Raiders also could keep him as the bridge to Fernando Mendoza, if they make him the first overall pick.

Vikings: They want a veteran who’ll compete with J.J. McCarthy. That could make it harder to attract a veteran who’ll want a commitment that he’ll be QB1. Based on McCarthy’s performance and durability in 2025, however, most veteran quarterbacks with reasonable confidence would believe they can win a fair and square competition. If they believe the competition will be both fair and square.

Falcons: They haven’t committed to Michael Penix Jr. being the Week 1 starter, and for good reason. Penix is recovering from his latest ACL tear. Cousins could, in theory, return after being released. That seems unlikely. Another veteran is possible for the new-look football operation led by Matt Ryan, Ian Cunningham, and Kevin Stefanski.

Cardinals: The moment Kyler Murray was placed on injured reserve with a foot injury that was supposedly healing, the message was clear — it’s over for Murray in Arizona. The Cardinals owe him $36.8 million for 2026, with another $22.55 million in 2026 pay and 2027 salary hitting the books early in the 2026 league year. If not traded, he’ll be cut. Willis could be an option for the Cardinals. Rodgers potentially could be a target, too.

With the Scouting Combine beginning soon, the carousel will start moving. Coaches and General Managers who take the podium on Tuesday or Wednesday will be asked pointed questions. Agents will meet with teams.

Four years ago, Malik Willis was favored to be the first quarterback in the draft. He wasn’t.

At pick No. 86, Willis went third among all quarterbacks, behind Kenny Pickett and Desmond Ridder.

It never really clicked for Willis in Tennessee, and he became expendable after two seasons. The Packers obtained Willis for a seventh-round pick not long before the start of the 2024 season.

While he has been the clear No. 2 to Jordan Love for the last two years, Willis has made the most of his limited opportunities.

In 11 appearances with four starts for the Packers, Willis completed 70 of 89 passes (78.6 percent) for 972 yards (10.92 yards per attempt), six touchdowns, and no interceptions. His passer rating was 134.64. He also has 261 rushing yards on 42 attempts (6.2 yards per carry) for three touchdowns.

Yes, the sample size is small. But, yes, the impact has been significant.

And he’s less than three weeks away from free agency.

Where he goes, and what he’ll get, becomes one of the more intriguing questions of free agency. The coming class of free-agent quarterbacks is headlined by Aaron Rodgers and Daniel Jones. One is 42, and the other is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon. Both are generally expected to return to their current teams (Steelers and Colts, respectively).

Other current free-agent options for quarterback-needy teams include Russell Wilson, Marcus Mariota, Joe Flacco, Tyrod Taylor, Pickett, Zack Wilson, and Jimmy Garoppolo.

The Kirk Cousins contract adjustment from January guarantees he’ll be cut on March 11 or 12, so he’s essentially a free agent. Kyler Murray and Tua Tagovailoa likely will be released, unless a trade can be worked out for either or both. The Jets also could move on from Justin Fields. And Mac Jones looms as a potential trade option, if the 49ers are willing to move him. (They say they’re not, but ‘tis the season for posturing.)

Then there’s Geno Smith, who already has $18.5 million fully guaranteed from the Raiders in 2026, with the remaining $8 million vesting on the third day of the 2026 league year. He could be available for trade, or he could be cut. (The Raiders also could keep him as the bridge to Fernando Mendoza, if they make him the first overall pick in the draft.)

Willis’s numbers are undeniable. Is he ready to be a full-time starter? And is a team ready to give him a starter-level contract?

As starter-level contracts go, the range is broad. The market tops, generally speaking, at $60 million per year. The bottom of the veteran starter market, as of last year, was $10.5 million for Russell Wilson (who started only three games). Fields has a $20 million average, and he received $30 million guaranteed on a two-year deal. (Fields also was eventually benched, after being publicly bad-mouthed by his thin-skinned owner.)

Sam Darnold, with only one viable suitor, received $33.5 million per year on a three-year deal from Seattle, which has quickly proven to be a steal. (In hindsight, he should have signed a one-year deal, like Jones did in Indy. With no other options, however, it wouldn’t have been easy to insist on a one-year commitment.)

Where will Willis fit? Much of it depends on the number of teams that pursue him. The Dolphins, who are now run by a pair of former Packers employees, are a team to watch — if they can wedge Willis’s contract into the cap wreckage of the Tua contract. The Cardinals, where Packers coach Matt LaFleur’s brother, Mike, is now the head coach, could make sense, too.

The Steelers could be an option, but they seem to be content to wait for Rodgers to make a decision. Which would take them out of play in the early days of free agency. The Vikings will be looking for a veteran to compete with J.J. McCarthy.

And don’t rule out the Ravens. If (and it’s not a big if but it’s still on the radar screen) they trade Lamar Jackson, they’ll need a quarterback, too.

Other teams that will or at least could be looking for a veteran quarterback include the Jets, Browns, Colts (if Jones leaves), and Falcons.

Someone surely will want Willis. The more teams that want him, the more money he’ll make.

The process will accelerate next week in Indianapolis, where every team will meet with every agent who represents every looming free agent in an annual swap meet of untraceable tampering that happens with no electronic footprints or popcorn trail.

Our guess is that Willis will land between $20 million and $30 million per year — unless a land rush emerges. If that happens, who knows? $35 million? $40 million? (While $40 million sounds like a lot, it’s still only 66.6 percent of the current market limit.)

Or maybe Willis will have the leverage and willingness to insist on a one-year deal that pays him a relatively modest salary but gives him another shot at free agency in 2027. (A no-tag clause would be even better, if not virtually impossible to finagle on a one-year deal.)

However it goes, it’s a story that isn’t getting the kind of attention it should, or that it will once teams start jostling for a chance to see whether Willis can do on a full-time basis what he did as a part-timer for the Packers.

His numbers suggest that he could be not just a capable starter but a potential superstar. With true franchise quarterbacks so hard to find, why wouldn’t someone roll the dice on the possibility of landing a player who could become one of the best quarterbacks in the league?

Safety Mike Wagner, a member of the Steelers teams that won four Super Bowls in the 1970s, has died. He was 76.

The Steelers announced Wagner’s passing on social media.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Mike Wagner, a tremendous player and an integral part of some of the most. successful teams in Pittsburgh Steelers history,” Steelers owner Art Rooney II said in a statement.

“Mike played a key role on our championship teams of the 1970s. As a member of four Super Bowl-winning teams, his toughness and consistency were paramount to our secondary. His contributions on the field were significant, but it was also his steady presence and team-first mentality that truly defined him.

“On behalf of the entire Pittsburgh Steelers organization, we extend our heartfelt condolences to Mike’s family. He will always be remembered as a champion, a great teammate, and a proud member of the Steelers family.”

An eleventh-round pick in 1971, Wagner played 10 years in the NFL, all with the Steelers. Wagner was a Pro Bowler in 1975 and 1976 and a second-team All-Pro in 1976.

Wagner played in 119 regular-season games, with 116 starts. He had 36 career interceptions.

The early weeks of the offseason are the time for connecting dots. Sometimes, multiple different dots lead to a common connection.

Currently, it’s believed that the Steelers will be the only viable option for quarterback Aaron Rodgers in 2026. But what about the Cardinals?

The most obvious link is offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. The Broncos hired him to be the head coach in 2022, at a time when it was believed the Packers would be ready to trade Rodgers.

That didn’t happen until 2023. By then, Hackett was working for the Jets — who traded for Rodgers.

Now, Hackett has landed in Arizona. Which will need a quarterback, if/when Kyler Murray is traded or released.

There are more connections than Hackett. New coach Mike LaFleur most recently served as offensive coordinator of the Rams, and Rodgers was reportedly the Plan B for the Rams if Matthew Stafford had left in 2025.

LaFleur’s brother, Matt, coached Rodgers for four years in Green Bay. And while the relationship was strained at times, Rodgers’s recent praise for Matt during a short stay on the hot seat left him “speechless.”

The only problem is that the Cardinals are the least competitive team in the very competitive NFC West. It won’t be easy for the Cardinals, with or without Rodgers, to make it to the playoffs.

Whether Rodgers or someone else, the Cardinals likely will be adding a quarterback. It makes sense to at least keep an eye on the possibility that the Cardinals will kick the tires on bringing Rodgers to Arizona.

The Raiders are hiring Zach Azzanni as wide receivers coach, Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports.

Azzanni will enter his 10th season in the NFL, most recently with the Steelers.

He began his NFL coaching career as the Bears’ wide receivers coach in 2017.

Azzanni has also coached the wide receivers for the Broncos (2018-22), Jets (2023) and Steelers (2024-25).

He and new Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak previously worked together for one season in Denver. In 2022, Kubiak was the Broncos’ passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach under Nathaniel Hackett.

Jerry Jeudy was the team’s leading receiver that season with 67 receptions for 972 yards and six touchdowns.

During Super Bowl week, former Steelers linebacker Joey Porter Sr. had some pointed comments about former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

Said Porter, among other things, regarding Roethlisberger: “He’s not a good teammate. Won a Super Bowl with him, but the person? He’s just not a good teammate. He knows that. Anybody in the Steeler building knows that. But we protected him because I’ve only won one Super Bowl, and that was my quarterback. So do I love my quarterback? Yeah. But is he a good person? No.”

Another former Steelers player chimed in on Monday. Former Steelers guard David DeCastro, appearing on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh, painted a different picture.

“Everyone is entitled to their opinion,” DeCastro said. “I guess, you know, negativity seems to sell these days. But, you know, I loved playing with Ben — for Ben, protecting him. You know, it was a big task. I just loved his energy. I mean, Ben’s the ultimate competitor, no matter what it is. Whether it’s corn hole, darts, pool, shooting — playing horse, basketball.

“He’s the guy when you get in the huddle, he’s got the energy. He does the head tap before the games, the pregame thing, go around tap everyone’s head. . . . You miss getting those juices flowing and, you know, having a guy like that. That’s what you need as a quarterback. That energy, that will, that want to win. It was contagious, and I took a lot of pride in protecting a Hall of Fame quarterback.”

Porter wasn’t the first former Steeler to criticize Roethlisberger. But DeCastro’s remarks show the feeling isn’t unanimous.

Whether more former Steelers add their voices to the conversation remains to be seen. And with Roethlisberger eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2027, his reputation as a teammate and a leader could become relevant, if it’s a close question regarding whether he gets in.