Steelers Watch AFC North Shakeup After Strange Update Hits Bengals And Browns

The Pittsburgh Steelers are undergoing a much different look as Mike McCarthy enters his first season as head coach with the team. This is, of course, rare, as Pittsburgh has only had three head coaches since the 1969 season. The Steelers are not the only team in the AFC North undergoing major changes, however. The Baltimore Ravens have a new head coach in Jesse Minter, and the Cleveland Browns also have a new head coach in Todd Monken. Out in Cincinnati, the head coach remains Zac Taylor, but the Bengals have not lived up to expectations in recent seasons.

Steeler Nation loves to follow the news around the division because in a league as highly competitive as the NFL, it is always pivotal to see what your competitors are doing so you can gain an edge. Of course, as a fan there is not much you can do, but having knowledge of what is happening around the division helps paint a clearer picture for Steelers fans.

It is interesting to note that the Browns were widely criticized for making modifications to star pass rusher Myles Garrett’s contract. According to Field Yates, the Browns and Garrett agreed to modified contract language that provides the team with added salary cap flexibility while also giving Garrett certain option bonus payment benefits. In a tweet on X, and an article for Over The Cap, Jason Fitzgerald explained why the move was considered unusual for both Garrett and the Browns.

"This is a very odd move for a contract with a no trade provision," Fitzgerald said. "There is zero cap benefit to the Browns and Garrett... now deferring $10M that was going to be paid now to the fall. I guess maybe a bigger payment in the fall when they pick it up?"

Fitzgerald doubled down in his article questioning the logic. 

"This is a pretty bizarre move on Garrett’s end as it defers the payment of salary each year to Garrett and really just opens up a trade window each year, except Garrett has a no trade provision," Fitzgerald said. "It is hard to really tell what the logic is here from either side."

The Browns, of course, made some moves that Fitzgerald could not quite understand. Meanwhile, the Bengals received a truth bomb delivered by Solomon Wilcots on the Bengals Bleav podcast. Wilcots explained how the Bengals’ important decision-makers were called out for playing checkers instead of chess when it comes to managing the salary cap.

"It accused the Cincinnati Bengals front office of playing checkers and not chess like some other teams who use the salary cap in a very wise way, particularly in free agency where they are able to sign more players, as opposed to the two or three the Bengals were able to sign this offseason," Wilcots said.

Wilcots is arguing that the structure of the contracts tells the real story. He believes the Bengals could have done more with their deals by spreading the guaranteed money over the course of multiple seasons. Instead, they used much of the guaranteed money in the first year of these contracts, meaning their three major free agent signings are essentially treated as one-year deals in Wilcots’ view.

Steelers Are Just A QB Away

It’s no secret that the AFC North is filled with talented players, but with so much change taking place, it is more evident than ever that the division is wide open. The Steelers truly feel like they are just a quarterback away from reclaiming the King of the North title on a consistent basis. 

They also captured the AFC North in 2025 with Aaron Rodgers at the helm, further reinforcing the idea that stability and strong quarterback play could be the final piece needed to keep them at the top of the division.

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