Roethlisberger, Claypool Win Team Awards

[86WARD]

It's the time of year when honors are handed out and that was the case when Ben Roethlisberger and Chase Claypool were both honored by the Pittsburgh Chapter of Pro Football Writers of America. Roethlisberger is the winner of 'The Chief' Award, while Claypool won the Joe Greene Great Performance Award, presented to the team's top rookie.

'The Chief' Award, which was established in honor of Steelers' founder, Arthur J. Rooney, Sr., is presented annually to a member of the Steelers' organization that best exemplifies the spirit of cooperation with the media that he embodied. This is the second time Roethlisberger won the award, previously doing so in 2010.

The Steelers didn't have a pick in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, after trading it to acquire Minkah Fitzpatrick. But they still found first-round talent, including second-round pick Chase Claypool, the dynamic wide receiver out of Notre Dame.

Claypool made a splash this season while being a major contributor to the offense, which is why he received the Joe Greene Great Performance Award.

Claypool started off with a bang, even in training camp, earning praise early on from his teammates even before playing in a game.

"He has impressed me for sure," said cornerback Joe Haden during camp. "Just his size, his speed, his ability to adjust to the ball in the air. He doesn't say too much. He is out there every day asking questions, just getting the routes. He has been doing a really good job. I think he is a great young talent. His work ethic shows he wants to be great. He doesn't do too much talking. He just gets after it. As long as he knows the playbook, him and Ben are on accord with the checks, he has all of the physical attributes to be a baller.

"He is a big, fast receiver. He is able to adjust to the ball in the air. He is a big body, deep threat, with soft hands who can jump up and get it.

"As long as he just keeps going, staying healthy, I think he is going to be a baller."

Roethlisberger, Claypool win team awards https://www.steelers.com/news/roethl...in-team-awards

[EzraTank]

If DJ can fix his hands then I see no reason to keep Juju. Now if we could just draft a OL and RB the way we draft receivers we would be unstoppable.

[FrancoLambert]

If DJ can fix his hands then I see no reason to keep Juju. Now if we could just draft a OL and RB the way we draft receivers we would be unstoppable.

Big “if.”

[Six Rings]

It's the time of year when honors are handed out and that was the case when Ben Roethlisberger and Chase Claypool were both honored by the Pittsburgh Chapter of Pro Football Writers of America. Roethlisberger is the winner of 'The Chief' Award, while Claypool won the Joe Greene Great Performance Award, presented to the team's top rookie.

'The Chief' Award, which was established in honor of Steelers' founder, Arthur J. Rooney, Sr., is presented annually to a member of the Steelers' organization that best exemplifies the spirit of cooperation with the media that he embodied. This is the second time Roethlisberger won the award, previously doing so in 2010.

The Steelers didn't have a pick in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, after trading it to acquire Minkah Fitzpatrick. But they still found first-round talent, including second-round pick Chase Claypool, the dynamic wide receiver out of Notre Dame.

Claypool made a splash this season while being a major contributor to the offense, which is why he received the Joe Greene Great Performance Award.

Claypool started off with a bang, even in training camp, earning praise early on from his teammates even before playing in a game.

"He has impressed me for sure," said cornerback Joe Haden during camp. "Just his size, his speed, his ability to adjust to the ball in the air. He doesn't say too much. He is out there every day asking questions, just getting the routes. He has been doing a really good job. I think he is a great young talent. His work ethic shows he wants to be great. He doesn't do too much talking. He just gets after it. As long as he knows the playbook, him and Ben are on accord with the checks, he has all of the physical attributes to be a baller.

"He is a big, fast receiver. He is able to adjust to the ball in the air. He is a big body, deep threat, with soft hands who can jump up and get it.

"As long as he just keeps going, staying healthy, I think he is going to be a baller."

Roethlisberger, Claypool win team awards https://www.steelers.com/news/roethl...in-team-awards

Claypool has the ability to become a top 10 NFL WR. Right now, he's about top 20-25 WR, which is very good for a rookie.

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If DJ can fix his hands then I see no reason to keep Juju. Now if we could just draft a OL and RB the way we draft receivers we would be unstoppable.

We are in salary cap hell. Let Bud, Ju-Ju, and Big Al walk. I'll take the compensatory picks for them, which should be two 3rd's and a 4th for the 2022 draft. It is what is is. We can't afford them or Ben and his 40 million dollar salary.

[86WARD]

Tuitt was named the Steelers recipient of the 2020 Ed Block Courage Award. The award is voted on by the players and given to a player who has shown courage either coming back from an injury or a life-altering situation.

[cubanstogie]

Can’t believe you guys think JuJu is dispensable. I may be biased because he’s probably my favorite player but the dude is a football player. I think he will have Hines Ward impact in years to come. DJ and Washington show up every so often but JuJu is dependable.

[teegre]

Can’t believe you guys think JuJu is dispensable. I may be biased because he’s probably my favorite player but the dude is a football player. I think he will have Hines Ward impact in years to come. DJ and Washington show up every so often but JuJu is dependable.

Agreed

As I’ve posted over the past two months, when the offense needs a kickstart, it starts with JuJu making a clutch catch, running over a defender, and converting a third down.

[Fire Goodell]

I like Juju, though I wish he brought that same attitude that Hines did. Hines had a way of firing up the troops that is hard to duplicate

[BlackAndGold]

When it comes to re-signing JuJu it comes down to price. Also, I'm not keeping him over Hilton whom is a legit piece to the defense which is, once again the "identity" of this team.

I've always felt that unless you have a top flight receiver(like AB) you should not re-sign them to a big deal and should just draft one or two instead. With how college football abuse the spread offense there are a lot of talent at wide receiver that can be drafted in the first 3-4 rounds, It has been that way since about mid way through the 2010's it seems like.

[Six Rings]

Can’t believe you guys think JuJu is dispensable. I may be biased because he’s probably my favorite player but the dude is a football player. I think he will have Hines Ward impact in years to come. DJ and Washington show up every so often but JuJu is dependable.

Ju-Ju is still a good player BUT its clear he's not a star true #1 WR without AB. We can lose him, and roll with Claypool ( who looks like a star ) DJ, and Washington. I'll take a 3rd round comp pick for Ju-Ju. THis team need a re-load at RB, OT and QB. Remember he has not been " paid " yet for his second contract and has already shown diva traits without having a pro bowl year on a 12-4 team.

[teegre]

When it comes to re-signing JuJu it comes down to price. Also, I'm not keeping him over Hilton whom is a legit piece to the defense which is, once again the "identity" of this team.

I've always felt that unless you have a top flight receiver(like AB) you should not re-sign them to a big deal and should just draft one or two instead. With how college football abuse the spread offense there are a lot of talent at wide receiver that can be drafted in the first 3-4 rounds, It has been that way since about mid way through the 2010's it seems like.

I am on the “sign JuJu” side of this, because he wants to be here AND he has that Hines Ward type of moxie. I truly think he’ll stay for $8 million/season.

That said, a half-decade ago, I posted similar things about being able to replace WRs every draft (because every college team has at least one “good” receiver). Draft a WR every single year, and replace* the outgoing free agent with a rookie. Rinse. Repeat.

*Technically, the receiver taken three years prior moves up in the depth chart to the #1 receiver spot, the receiver taken two years ago becomes the #2, the receiver taken last draft becomes the #3, and the rookie becomes the #4.

[Mojouw]

I am on the “sign JuJu” side of this, because he wants to be here AND he has that Hines Ward type of moxie. I truly think he’ll stay for $8 million/season.

That said, a half-decade ago, I posted similar things about being able to replace WRs every draft (because every college team has at least one “good” receiver). Draft a WR every single year, and replace* the outgoing free agent with a rookie. Rinse. Repeat.

*Technically, the receiver taken three years prior moves up in the depth chart to the #1 receiver spot, the receiver taken two years ago becomes the #2, the receiver taken last draft becomes the #3, and the rookie becomes the #4.

Lots of speculation sites have Juju's market value pegged at about $15 million per year. Now, the "COVID CAP" might depress that a bit. But I still don't think Juju is going to take a $4-8 million dollar/year discount to stay in Pittsburgh.

Jags, Jets, WFT, and 'Phins all have oodles of cap space and a screaming need for a steady reliable weapon at WR to pair with either their brand new QB or their current QB. The nightmare scenario is that the Ravens throw a bunch of their cap space at him to solve their need for a chain moving WR.

[teegre]

Lots of speculation sites have Juju's market value pegged at about $15 million per year. Now, the "COVID CAP" might depress that a bit. But I still don't think Juju is going to take a $4-8 million dollar/year discount to stay in Pittsburgh.

Jags, Jets, WFT, and 'Phins all have oodles of cap space and a screaming need for a steady reliable weapon at WR to pair with either their brand new QB or their current QB. The nightmare scenario is that the Ravens throw a bunch of their cap space at him to solve their need for a chain moving WR.

When I looked up the list of receiver salaries (by millions/year), it seemed to come up with not many receivers making that much per year. The receivers of JuJu’s ilk were in the $10-$8 million range. (In fact, not many at all were above $11 million.) Even at $10 million, he’d still around “tenth-highest-paid” receiver in the league.

My hope is that JuJu’s love for Pittsburgh converts into a “home town discount”...

[86WARD]

Ju-Ju is still a good player BUT its clear he's not a star true #1 WR without AB. We can lose him, and roll with Claypool ( who looks like a star ) DJ, and Washington. I'll take a 3rd round comp pick for Ju-Ju. THis team need a re-load at RB, OT and QB. Remember he has not been " paid " yet for his second contract and has already shown diva traits without having a pro bowl year on a 12-4 team.

No one has ever made JuJu out to be a number one receiver other than the Fantasy Football Pundits. That’s a dumb argument. JuJu himself said he doesn’t care about that.

For more idiocies; How many 100 yard games has AB had without JuJu? The answer is one...last week. Does that mean that AB isn’t AB without JuJu?

[Hawkman]

No one has ever made JuJu out to be a number one receiver other than the Fantasy Football Pundits. That’s a dumb argument. JuJu himself said he doesn’t care about that.

For more idiocies; How many 100 yard games has AB had without JuJu? The answer is one...last week. Does that mean that AB isn’t AB without JuJu?

97 receptions , 9 TDs, yes I’d love to keep him around.

[Mojouw]

When I looked up the list of receiver salaries (by millions/year), it seemed to come up with not many receivers making that much per year. The receivers of JuJu’s ilk were in the $10-$8 million range. (In fact, not many at all were above $11 million.) Even at $10 million, he’d still around “tenth-highest-paid” receiver in the league.

My hope is that JuJu’s love for Pittsburgh converts into a “home town discount”...

This walks through the math: https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/pittsbur.../market-value/

Now, will any team be willing to pony up? I have no idea. But I know that guys get "overpaid" all the time in FA.

Another difficulty in re-signing Juju for Pittsburgh is that they usually have a pretty set salary structure for the team overall and for each position group. Operating on the assumption that Juju is "worth" $10-15 million per year in the NFL marketplace; such a contract creates all kinds of problems for the Steelers aside from carving out the cap space.

Paying that much for a WR is likely their "top" WR contract and they will have to slot everyone else in below that. If Juju is worth $10-15 in the NFL marketplace, what is Diontae Johnson worth (A FA in 2023)? Sure he drops passes and isn't physical like Juju, but he is lethal in space, gets off the line on his own, and beats man coverage like a drum. Those skills are highly prized across the league. He might be "worth" (maybe valued is a better term?) more on the open market. So the Steelers would likely lose him if they tried to slot him below Juju in their salary structure. The line of reasoning continues to 2024 and Claypool being a FA.

That puts them in the situation that you are looking at paying for 3 WRs in 2024 at a high $$$ amount. Plus, they usually have a strict salary pecking order. If they pay Juju a premium, they won't top that for anyone else.

Long story short, I want them to re-sign Juju. I think that losing him is going to be a bigger issue than stats would at first indicate. But I think they are just going to have their hands tied with this one and not be able to do it.

[86WARD]

97 receptions , 9 TDs, yes I’d love to keep him around.

I think they could get him at a reasonable rate. I don’t see why they wouldn’t be able to get him in a Julian Edelman (7.5M) range on the low end or a Devante Parker/Robby Anderson/Sammy Watkins type range (9-10M)? I think he’s worth that neighborhood at the moment.

Other thing, 2023 is a long ways away. A lot can change over that period of time. I’d like to look at this situation as a whole. How much are you willing to pay for a group of 4 WRs that are the talent of the four guys they currently have. Obviously you aren’t going to be able to pay them all prime money at their prime, however, similar to the QB situation, if you have Claypool and DJ at a “discount”, does it hurt to pay JuJu a little more than value to keep a solid, dependable guy in that WR room?

[Six Rings]

97 receptions , 9 TDs, yes I’d love to keep him around.

Well, the Steelers let Mike Wallace go and it was the right move as he would be making too much money.

Last season on the Steelers going into free agency:


Wallace 836 yards, 8 TD's, 13.1 YPC
Ju-Ju 831 yards, 9 TD's, 8.6 YPC ( Terrible YPC )


Ju-Ju is going to command 9 million or more in free agency. We simply can not afford it. Let's hope for huge offer for Ju-Ju and take a high comp pick in 2022 at the end of round three.


Claypool looks like a star in the making. He, Johnson, and Washington are a good #1, #2, and #3. Actually Ebron is a good receiver too. We can find a solid #4 later in the draft or in camp.

[teegre]

I think they could get him at a reasonable rate. I don’t see why they wouldn’t be able to get him in a Julian Edelman (7.5M) range on the low end or a Devante Parker/Robby Anderson/Sammy Watkins type range (9-10M)? I think he’s worth that neighborhood at the moment.

That’s a Bingo!!!