The Pittsburgh Steelers have enjoyed one of the best offseasons of any NFL team. It’s positioned them well for 2023 to hopefully battle for the AFC North title. Even more so, their main rival the Baltimore Ravens, may be losing the best player on their team. If you haven’t been paying attention, quarterback Lamar Jackson tweeted out over a week ago that he requested a trade at the beginning of March.
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Pittsburgh Steelers OLB TJ Watt bores down on Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson.
While there’s still a slim possibility that he remains on the team in 2023, particularly under the franchise tag, it’s seeming less and less likely. That has to make the Steelers and the other two AFC North teams happy, as it opens up the division a bit. The Cincinnati Bengals are the resounding favorite, and rightfully so, but that spot for second would become up for grabs essentially.
Can the Steelers finish 2nd in the AFC North in 2023?
Defensive tackle Breiden Fehoko, who signed with the Steelers at the end of March, recently appeared on the Steel Here podcast with Kevin Adams and Jersey Jerry. The run-stopper weighed in on this situation regarding Jackson and the Ravens, to which he essentially provided a counterargument to Jerry.
"I think the issue starts happening is where you look at the cap percentage Deshaun Watson takes up [in Cleveland]. From a front office's perspective, how much are you willing to sacrifice on that cap? Are you going to front load your roster? The way a good roster is built is through the back end. You need good backups in this league. You need a lot of good role players."
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Matt Freed
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) is sacked by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith (56) in the second half.
Fehoko has a point, as the model over the last few years has been teams utilizing their quarterbacks on rookie contracts. There are exceptions, like when you have an otherworldly talent in Patrick Mahomes for example. No disrespect to Jackson, but he isn’t on Mahomes’ level at this point, particularly come playoff time. Essentially, the defensive tackle believes it's a hard pillow to swallow giving half of your cap space to a few stars on the team.
Fehoko, who spent three years with the Los Angeles Chargers, hopefully won’t have to deal with Jackson twice a year. His opinion varies from several other NFL players, as the majority agree that the Ravens should be paying their superstar quarterback. He thinks Jackson needs to go to a team that can afford him with plenty of cap space. This past season, we saw the Philadelphia Eagles roster built in a model to which Fehoko discussed. They had plenty of depth throughout the roster, as well as a quarterback still on a rookie deal.
What are your thoughts on this ongoing contract situation in Baltimore? If he doesn't end up with the Ravens, where do you think he will end? Do you agree with Fehoko's viewpoint in regards to the cap situation in paying QB's? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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