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USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Baltimore Ravens' leading contenders for major NFL awards in 2025
Here are the Baltimore Ravens' best candidates to win major NFL awards from the Associated Press in 2025 The Ravens have a juggernaut of an offense and an ever-improving, stacked defense, with a coaching staff to match, as Baltimore looks to finally secure a Super Bowl berth in the Lamar Jackson era. Such a loaded roster is filled with award winners and candidates for this season. Baltimore's most recent NFL award winner was star quarterback Lamar Jackson. The Ravens quarterback was named 2023 NFL Most Valuable Player at NFL Honors at Resorts World, marking the second time he's won the award after he took home the honor following the 2019 season. With training camp fast approaching, we're previewing who the Baltimore Ravens' best candidates are to win major NFL awards from the Associated Press in 2025. MVP: QB Lamar Jackson In the closest race since Matt Ryan beat out Tom Brady in 2016, Josh Allen secured more votes than Baltimore Ravens' two-time winner Lamar Jackson for the Most Valuable Player award last February. Jackson had career-highs with 4,172 yards passing, 41 touchdowns, and four interceptions with a near-record 119.6 passer rating, which led the NFL. It marked the first time since 1987 that a first-team All-Pro quarterback had not won the MVP award. Jackson has a loaded roster, and he'll be the man to beat. Offensive Player of the Year: QB Lamar Jackson Jackson was a finalist for the Associated Press NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year awards. Derrick Henry was also a finalist for the Offensive Player of the Year award. Jackson finished second to the Eagles' Saquon Barkley, while Henry was fourth. Both players will be in the running, with Henry more likely for a drop-off after finishing second in the NFL in rushing. Leading Baltimore to its second straight AFC North title, Jackson was first-team All-Pro and set career highs for passing yards (4,172), touchdown passes (41), and quarterback rating (119.6). Henry, the 2020 Offensive Player of the Year, had 1,921 yards rushing and 16 TDs in his first season with the Ravens. Defensive Player of the Year: OLB Kyle Van Noy Van Noy has 55.5 sacks in his career and is fresh off a career-best campaign in which he tallied 12.5 sacks and reached his first Pro Bowl. Baltimore has a loaded secondary, and that could provide more opportunities for sacks and game-changing plays. Offensive Rookie of the Year: LaJohntay Wester, WR, Colorado The former Colorado wide receiver would need a miracle to be named a starter, but he's the only rookie skill position player who could see snaps in 2025. Wester managed a 66.7% contested catch rate in 2024 while also earning an 81.5 receiving grade against man coverage. Wester averaged 12.2 yards on punts last season, including a 76-yard touchdown. Defensive Rookie of the Year: DB Malaki Starks Edge rushers typically win this award, but rookie Mike Green would be battling uphill for snaps behind Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh. Starks should start from Day 1 and has the versatility to bring home the award. Comeback Player of the Year: LB Trenton Simpson Simpson entered the 2024 season with high expectations after being named the starter at inside linebacker after Patrick Queen's departure to Pittsburgh. Simpson started the first 11 games with mixed reviews and was eventually benched for the combination of Malik Harrison and Chris Board. Now, after an off-season of reflection, Simpson told Ryan Mink of that he spent four months with All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith, training and studying film. Simpson referred to Smith as his "big brother" and vowed that 2025 would be his year. When asked about Simpson's benching last season, Harbaugh labeled it a "reset period" during which the former Clemson linebacker could watch and feel less pressure. Harrison departed for the Steelers and Board departed for the Giants in free agency, leaving Simpson as the inside linebacker. Coach of the Year: John Harbaugh Harbaugh has won over 62% of his games with a 172-104 win-loss total. He's above .500 during the postseason with a mark of 13-11. He's won a Super Bowl. Still, the NFL is a what have you done for me lately league, and a huge season could land more accolades. Assistant Coach of the Year: Todd Monken After getting passed over for several high-profile head coaching jobs, the veteran offensive play-caller finalized a deal to remain with the Ravens. Monken was a finalist for the AP NFL Assistant Coach of the Year award and finished 8th in voting. Every offense Monken has commanded since 2021 has finished in the top 10 in total offense, with his title-winning team in 2022 and his first-year Lamar Jackson ranking in the top five. Monken is entering his third season coaching Lamar Jackson and expects the quarterback's growth to continue and reach another level as he enters the prime of his career. The Ravens' OC will be tasked with maintaining the NFL's most explosive rushing attack, while taking advantage of a passing offense that now includes DeAndre Hopkins to the wide receiver trio and two elite tight ends.
Reuters
31-03-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Steelers keeping QB options open, with or without Aaron Rodgers
March 31 - The Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback position is a work in progress, and coach Mike Tomlin said that signing Aaron Rodgers, the most prominent free agent in a thin market, is only one possible option. The Steelers met with the 41-year-old Rodgers, a four-time NFL Most Valuable Player, on March 21 for a reported six hours. Tomlin met with media for the first time since then on Sunday at the NFL's annual meeting in West Palm Beach, Fla. Tomlin called it "a really good day" spent with a player he has known for some time. As far as a timetable, however, the coach said there's no deadline for Rodgers to work out a deal with the Steelers from the team's perspective. "I really wanted to spend more of our time just getting to know him better, and things that he values as a player and a man, and what he might be looking for with his next stop," Tomlin said. "I don't know that we've approached it from a deadline perspective. Certainly, as I mentioned, you'd like to have settled circumstances, but deadlines can often bring that to a head." Tomlin called free agency a process, which has led Pittsburgh to bring back former Steelers QB Mason Rudolph, who played last season with Tennessee, and another veteran, former Miami Dolphin Skylar Thompson. The Steelers' 2024 quarterback room has emptied, as Russell Wilson and Justin Fields were on one-year deals as they split starts, and Kyle Allen was a reserve. Wilson signed with the New York Giants and Fields went to Rodgers' former team, the New York Jets. Allen signed as a free agent with the Detroit Lions. The high turnover at the QB position has gone on for two seasons. "Oftentimes, I say 'Two is a pattern.' It's a cliche that I use in coaching, but I don't know that I'm alarmed by that as it pertains to this discussion," Tomlin said. "We're just simply trying to put together the very best team that we can put together for 2025. Last year, we had a group in that room that were on one-year deals, and so the possibility of what we're doing right now was a real thing. But that's just one isolated scenario. If we're having similar conversations next year at this time, it's probably more of a discussion for us." Tomlin is not glossing over the addition of Rudolph, 29, as a potential starter, as he was signed to a two-year contract. "We're optimistic about the room that we're constructing. Obviously, we're excited about having Mason Rudolph back," Tomlin said. "But certainly we're going to continue to explore all our options in terms of rounding that room out." That includes adding another free agent or selecting a QB in the draft. Rodgers, who was released by the Jets on March 12 and has not said whether he wants to continue playing, has the decided edge in experience. He passed for 3,897 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2024, returning from a season-ending Achilles injury suffered in his first game with the Jets in September 2023. The 10-time Pro Bowl selection ranks fifth in league history in touchdown passes (503) and seventh in passing yards (62,952). "We're still evaluating the acquisition of a guy at that position, whether it's free agency and/or the draft, and so we're doing our due diligence, communicating with some free agents, also preparing for the draft," Tomlin said. "(GM) Omar (Khan) and I just got off on a nice tour here last week where we were at Notre Dame, Ohio State and Texas, for example, our last three trips. I think all three of those institutions have quarterbacks that are draft-eligible, and so it's been a good process for us."
Miami Herald
26-03-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Steelers' Cameron Heyward clarifies comments on Aaron Rodgers
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward said his words were "misconstrued" when he initially addressed the notion of quarterback Aaron Rodgers joining his team. Speaking on NFL Network's "Good Morning Football," Heyward said on he was answering a specific question on his podcast as to whether he'd chase the four-time NVP into a darkness retreat in order to get him to play for the Steelers. "Either you want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler, or you don't. It's that simple. That's the pitch," Heyward said at the time. Heyward elected to clarify his stance on Wednesday, five days after Rodgers visited the Steelers. "Yes, it was misconstrued. From my point of view, I was asked the question of, 'Would you go to the lengths of going to a darkness retreat to recruit Aaron Rodgers?' I said, 'I'm not doing that,' " Heyward said. "The pitch is: If you wanna be a Steeler, be a Steeler. It wasn't meant that I don't like Rodgers or I'm against it. I think when I look at our team right now, it would be really cool to have a guy like Aaron Rodgers, but I can't be the guy who gets it over the finish line. I think he's got to make those decisions for himself." The free-agent quarterback landscape has changed, with the New York Giants signing both Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston and the Minnesota Vikings reportedly content on going forward with J.J. McCarthy -- narrowing the teams that could have a spot for Rodgers. The 10th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. McCarthy missed the entire season following surgery to repair his torn right meniscus. "I have not had any communication with (Rodgers)," Heyward said. "I was actually with some strength coaches that day he was in the building. I think they were trying to get everybody out of the building so they could just have a conversation with him. But what I would say to him? I would just say, you know, if you come to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the goal is to win. You know, we haven't had the success we want, but the goal is still in mind to raise a Lombardi and bring that seventh one to Pittsburgh. We don't really care about the glitz and glam of New York, but the focus is on good hard football, competing every day, challenging each other, trying to go from there." The New York Jets released Rodgers on March 12, making him a free agent for the first time in his career. The only quarterbacks on the Steelers' current roster are Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson. Rodgers, 41, passed for 3,897 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2024, returning from a season-ending Achilles injury suffered in his first game with the Jets in September 2023. The 10-time Pro Bowl selection and four-time NFL Most Valuable Player ranks fifth in league history in touchdown passes (503) and seventh in passing yards (62,952). --Field Level Media Field Level Media 2025 - All Rights Reserved
Reuters
26-03-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Steelers' Cameron Heyward clarifies comments on Aaron Rodgers
March 26 - Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward said his words were "misconstrued" when he initially addressed the notion of quarterback Aaron Rodgers joining his team. Speaking on NFL Network's "Good Morning Football," Heyward said on he was answering a specific question on his podcast as to whether he'd chase the four-time NVP into a darkness retreat in order to get him to play for the Steelers. "Either you want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler, or you don't. It's that simple. That's the pitch," Heyward said at the time. Heyward elected to clarify his stance on Wednesday, five days after Rodgers visited the Steelers. "Yes, it was misconstrued. From my point of view, I was asked the question of, 'Would you go to the lengths of going to a darkness retreat to recruit Aaron Rodgers?' I said, 'I'm not doing that,' " Heyward said. "The pitch is: If you wanna be a Steeler, be a Steeler. It wasn't meant that I don't like Rodgers or I'm against it. I think when I look at our team right now, it would be really cool to have a guy like Aaron Rodgers, but I can't be the guy who gets it over the finish line. I think he's got to make those decisions for himself." The free-agent quarterback landscape has changed, with the New York Giants signing both Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston and the Minnesota Vikings reportedly content on going forward with J.J. McCarthy -- narrowing the teams that could have a spot for Rodgers. The 10th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. McCarthy missed the entire season following surgery to repair his torn right meniscus. "I have not had any communication with (Rodgers)," Heyward said. "I was actually with some strength coaches that day he was in the building. I think they were trying to get everybody out of the building so they could just have a conversation with him. But what I would say to him? I would just say, you know, if you come to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the goal is to win. You know, we haven't had the success we want, but the goal is still in mind to raise a Lombardi and bring that seventh one to Pittsburgh. We don't really care about the glitz and glam of New York, but the focus is on good hard football, competing every day, challenging each other, trying to go from there." The New York Jets released Rodgers on March 12, making him a free agent for the first time in his career. The only quarterbacks on the Steelers' current roster are Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson. Rodgers, 41, passed for 3,897 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2024, returning from a season-ending Achilles injury suffered in his first game with the Jets in September 2023. The 10-time Pro Bowl selection and four-time NFL Most Valuable Player ranks fifth in league history in touchdown passes (503) and seventh in passing yards (62,952).
Reuters
10-03-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Bills give MVP Josh Allen new 6-year deal with record guarantee
March 10 - One month after winning his first NFL Most Valuable Player award, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen received a brand-new contract. The Bills announced Sunday that a new contract agreement will keep Allen tied to Buffalo through the 2030 season. It replaces Allen's previous deal that had four years remaining, and ESPN and NFL Network reported it to be $330 million ($55 million per year). The deal includes $250 million guaranteed, those reports said -- the most guaranteed money in a contract in league history. Allen, 28, took home MVP honors after completing 63.6 percent of his passes for 3,731 yards, 28 touchdowns and a career-low six interceptions in 2024 while adding 531 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground. His MVP win was considered an upset over favorite Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens. Allen, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, guided the Bills to the AFC Championship Game for the second time (also 2020). Second-seeded Buffalo lost 32-29 at the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs.
