Behind the Steel Curtain
A weekly Steelers (and AFC North) links roundup.
It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time for a weekly Steelers links roundup at BTSC. But first, let’s take a look around the AFC North:
Now, onto some Steelers news and discussion:
(From Baltimore Beatdown’s Dustin Cox): While on the Sports and Suits podcast recently, Johnson revealed his thought process for the bizarre decision, citing the cold weather as his reasoning.
“I wasn’t getting into no run plays, no passing plays or nothing,” Johnson said. “It was cold. End of the third, going into the fourth, they were like, ‘Tae, we need you.’ I was like, ‘Nah, I don’t think it’s a good idea for me.’ Like, my legs are already ice cold and I didn’t wanna go out there and put bad stuff on film. It’s not like I didn’t wanna go into the game, but leading up to this point, I had been through so much... I told them I’m not finna go in, so I just sat on the bench, and that’s when they suspended me.”
It’s the sort of story that sounds like an angry message board hypothetical — except it’s an actual quote from Johnson.
Ironically, Johnson is now playing for yet another cold weather team in 2025, the Cleveland Browns. It’ll be his third AFC North team he’s suited up for.
In 2024, his first season since being traded from the Steelers, Johnson played for three different teams, appearing in 12 total games. He logged 33 receptions for 375 yards and three touchdowns.
(From Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper): Longtime Steelers reporter Mark Kaboly said on 93.7 The Fan that the Steelers and Boyd have talked this offseason.
Kaboly went on to say that he was not sure if a formal offer was made during those conversations. He added that the money that Boyd has been offered around the league this offseason from any team has not been in the neighborhood he’s looking for and that he’s continuing to wait to see if a better offer can come his way.
A follow-up to the week’s earlier Tyler Boyd story; it appears there’s some mutual interest between the Steelers and the veteran receiver. Of course, if a deal went through, Pittsburgh would be adding another slot weapon to an offense that already includes Roman Wilson, Calvin Austin III, Pat Freiermuth, and now, Jonnu Smith.
However, Boyd shouldn’t be expensive. He signed for just $2.4 million last season with the Tennessee Titans. Now 30 years old, he’s coming off his worst NFL season since...
