AFC North

According to the Weather Channel, the low temperature in Buffalo, New York, on Sunday will be seven degrees fahrenheit.

But don't expect Lamar Jackson to wear gloves when his Baltimore Ravens come to town to face the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Divisional Round showdown.

"I tried it in practice," he told reporters. "I was terrible."

It's hard to argue with any approach Jackson takes this season. After all, he could be well on his way to a second straight and third overall MVP after completing 66.7 percent of his passes for 4,172 yards, 41 touchdowns and four interceptions while adding 915 yards and four scores on the ground as a runner.

It is a regular-season award, but Josh Allen may be the only one standing in the way of that MVP.

He is also the one standing in the way of a second consecutive trip to the AFC Championship Game for the Ravens.

The two teams faced each other in Week 4 with Baltimore steamrolling its way to a 35-10 victory. That was a home game for the Ravens, but the Bills had no answer for Derrick Henry (199 rushing yards and two touchdowns) even as Jackson threw for two scores.

If the Jackson and Henry combination is that dominant again, it won't matter if the quarterback is wearing gloves to shield himself from the cold.

Russell Wilson had a disappointing end to his first season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and part of his struggles could be due to reported tension between him and his offensive coordinator.

Per Mark Kaboly of The Pat McAfee Show, Wilson and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith battled through having a bad "work relationship" during the 2024 campaign.

"Still, despite Wilson and Smith spending countless hours together after the typical workday watching film and publicly joking about it, a team source recently said that Wilson and Smith did not have a very good working relationship but fought through their differences as best they could," Kaboly wrote.

According to Kaboly, reports surfaced during the season that Smith preferred Justin Fields over Wilson, though the reports were never "substantiated." Fields, who the Steelers traded for last offseason shortly after landing Wilson, started the first six games of the season and threw for 1,106 yards, 5 touchdowns and one interception. He added 289 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground while leading Pittsburgh to a 4-2 start.

Wilson, who missed the first part of the season while recovering from an injury, threw for 2,482 yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions across 11 games. The Steelers won six of their first seven games with Wilson as the starter before collapsing to lose the final four regular-season games of the year.

In Pittsburgh's wild-card matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, Wilson threw for 270 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 28-14 loss.

The Steelers now have a few decisions to make this offseason, the first regarding Wilson, who is set to hit free agency. Wilson could likely find a home with another squad, but he has indicated he wants to return to Pittsburgh next year.

"Yeah, that's the plan," Wilson said, per Kaboly. "Obviously, I love it here and everything else. I think they've known that I always wanted to be here and play here. But it's also a process. We haven't had those meetings yet, so we'll have those, and we'll go from there."

Fields is also set to be a free agent this offseason, so the Steelers will have to choose to bring back one, both or neither of the two quarterbacks. Smith is under contract for the next two seasons and will likely play a big part in helping Pittsburgh's front office decide what to do.

Wilson is a Super Bowl-winning quarterback who once played at an MVP level year in and year out, but he's been far from that caliber of player over the past few years. Fields, though still unproven, showed early last season that he's capable of winning games as a starter.

Needless to say, Mike Tomlin, Smith and the Steelers have an interesting offseason ahead of them.

The city of Cleveland has filed a lawsuit against the Browns over the team's proposed move to a new stadium in the Brook Park suburb.

In the lawsuit filed in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court (h/t Michelle Jarboe of Cleveland.com), lawyers for the city are seeking to invoke the "Modell law" that states a sports team owner that uses a tax-supported facility for home games and receives funding from the state or a political subdivision can't move unless it gives a notice of at least six months or receives permission from local government officials to do so.

The Browns announced in October they informed Cleveland officials of their plan to move forward with a new domed stadium in Brook Park after the city previously proposed a $1.2 billion renovation project for Huntington Bank Field.

Cost for the new project is estimated at $2.4 billion, with the Browns citing Brook Park as the "most compelling option" for a new stadium because of its central location for the regional fanbase, proximity to downtown and existing infrastructure.

While we have considered numerous sites throughout Cleveland and the region, our focus has been on two potential paths for the future of our stadium.

While significant work remains, the more we have explored the Brook Park option, the more attractive it has become, and we are… pic.twitter.com/5wXzpNANxz

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) August 7, 2024

The Brook Park site is the most compelling option for a dome for several reasons: its central location for our regional fan base, its proximity to downtown, the RTA and the airport, and its strong existing infrastructure. pic.twitter.com/T36yXZAm8q

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) August 7, 2024

On Jan. 2, Browns officials announced they executed a clause that gave them the option to buy 176 acres of land in Brook Park for the new stadium.

In the lawsuit, Cleveland's lawyers noted the Modell law applies to the Browns and Haslam Sports Group, and the city has already invested roughly $368 million into renovations and repairs to Huntington Bank Field that are still being subsidized by taxpayers.

The state of Ohio enacted the Modell law in June 1996, three months after the Browns were "deactivated" when Art Modell moved the franchise to Baltimore.

Jarboe noted the Modell law has never been fully tested since it went into law. The closest it came was in 2018 when the city of Columbus invoked it in a lawsuit after the owners of the Columbus Crew were threatening to move the MLS club to Texas.

The lawsuit was still pending when the Haslam family reached agreement to purchase the Crew in December 2018 to keep the team in Columbus.

According to Jarboe, Alan Weinstein, a professor emeritus of law and urban studies at Cleveland State University, said in a local news interview last year the Modell law is a "toothless tiger."

The Browns' current lease with Huntington Bank Field runs through the 2028 season. If the team is approved for a new stadium, the goal would be to have it ready for the start of the 2029 campaign.

The atmosphere in the Cleveland Browns' locker room became more positive after Deshaun Watson tore his Achilles tendon on Oct. 20 and stopped playing, according to The Athletic's Jason Lloyd.

"Players told me there was a constant heaviness surrounding Watson in the locker room and that they felt a different energy in the building upon his departure," Lloyd wrote.

Lloyd added: "A couple of veterans told me it felt like a cloud had been lifted."

According to Lloyd, Watson's mistakes through the first seven games of the season— including not passing to open receivers— were visible on game film, but not pointed out by head coach Kevin Stefanski.

That frustrated "at least a few veterans who believed Stefanski wouldn't criticize Watson in front of the team," Lloyd wrote.

According to these players, Stefanski "returned to pointing out the quarterback's mistakes in film sessions" once Jameis Winston had taken over for Watson in Week 8.

The Browns announced Friday that Watson had undergone a second surgery after re-rupturing his injured Achilles tendon. He could miss the entirety of the 2025 season, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Jameis Winston is set to hit free agency this offseason, and the Browns could decide to target a quarterback with their No. 2 pick in the upcoming draft.

The 2024 season was tumultuous for Watson even before Week 1. The quarterback was rehabbing from the throwing shoulder injury that led him to miss the last nine games of the 2023 regular season. He lost both his father and his college teammate and friend just before the start of the 2024 season.

In October, he settled a civil lawsuit filed by a woman claiming sexual assault and battery, which was the latest of at least 20 settlements the quarterback has reached since his playing career with the Houston Texans.

The Browns went 1-6 to start the season behind Watson. He had passed for 1,148 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions prior to his injury in Week 7.

Since signing his five-year, $230 million contract with the Browns in 2022, injuries and an 11-game suspension from the league have limited Watson to playing just 19 games in Cleveland. He has thrown for 3,365 yards with 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while not appearing in a playoff game over that span.

The Browns recently restructured Watson's contract in a move that will allow them to push his guaranteed money out into more void years. The $92 million in base salary remaining on his deal is still fully guaranteed, so Watson will continue to impact how the Browns build their team going forward even if he never plays another game in Cleveland.

Cleveland will now look to improve the mood around the team by reshaping their coaching staff next season. Stefanski is set to return, but offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and offensive line coach Andy Dickerson were let go immediately following the 3-14 campaign.

According to Lloyd, players believe former offensive line coach Bill Callahan left ahead of the 2024 season at least in because the team fired offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. Now that their replacements heading out after a single season, the Browns will hope to find long-term leaders on offense along with a long-term QB1 this offseason.

Arthur Smith could be moving on after one season of directing the Pittsburgh Steelers' offense.

Smith has head coaching interviews scheduled with the Chicago Bears and New York Jets, according to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer.

Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is interviewing for the Bears HC job this morning and for the Jets HC job tomorrow, per sources.

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 15, 2025

Smith previously served as the Atlanta Falcons' head coach. He led the team to three straight 7-10 seasons before he was fired after the 2023 campaign.

He was hired by the Steelers ahead of the 2024 season, which ended Saturday with a 28-14 Wild Card loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

The news follows a Tuesday reported by ESPN's Dan Graziano that Smith could be a "front-runner" for the job in New York.

The Jets interviewed Smith in January 2021, following his second season as offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans, before Smith went to Atlanta and the Jets hired Robert Saleh.

The team also "considered bringing in Smith" as part of their offensive staff ahead of the 2024 season following his firing by the Falcons, according to Graziano.

That past interest could be enough to make the team a serious contender to hire Smith. Graziano wrote that Jets owner Woody Johnson "has been known to lock in a bit on his personal favorites."

According to Graziano, the Jets were interested in former head coach Adam Gase prior to his decision to join the Miami Dolphins in 2016. When Gase was fired after three seasons with the Dolphins, the Jets hired him ahead of the 2019 campaign.

The Jets could be looking for an offensively-focused coach after moving on from Saleh and interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich, both of whom came from defensive backgrounds.

The Steelers' offense struggled over stretches of the 2024 season, particularly when being held to 17 or fewer points in four straight losses to end the season. The unit finished the campaign ranked 23rd in the NFL with 319.4 total offensive yards per game.

Smith's offense in Pittsburgh leaned heavily on its rushing attack, finishing the season 11th in the NFL with 127.4 rushing yards per game.

That focus wasn't always effective, however. The Steelers ranked 24th in rush EPA during the regular season, and the rushing attack was all but absent as the team was held to just 29 yards on the ground in the elimination loss to the Ravens.

The Jets could be hoping Smith is able to find more consistent results if he gets the chance to work with Breece Hall and Braelon Allen. Even after a head coach is hired, however, the Jets will be left to answer arguably the biggest question of the offseason: whether the team is running things back with Aaron Rodgers or bringing in a new starting quarterback for the 2025 season.

Amid rumors of teams inquiring with the Pittsburgh Steelers about a trade for head coach Mike Tomlin, he brushed off the speculation.

"Save your time," Tomlin said on Tuesday, per ESPN's Brooke Pryor.

Tomlin, who just wrapped up his 18th season as head coach, signed a three-year extension last offseason.

Tomlin's contract also features a no-trade clause, meaning the only way Pittsburgh can trade him is if he agrees to the deal.

Though Tomlin has had a successful tenure with the Steelers, his future with the team was in question when Pittsburgh squandered a 10-3 start by losing its last four games. The 10-7 finish was still good enough for the Steelers to reach the playoffs, but their effort in the wild-card round against Baltimore wasn't good enough to advance.

After Pittsburgh lost to the Ravens, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that one team had already checked into Tomlin's trade availability. Schefter also said the Steelers hadn't given "any indication" it was interested in trading Tomlin.

"Last week, we said there will be teams that would check into the availability of Mike Tomlin, and one did, and one was told that Mike Tomlin has a no-trade clause in his contract," Schefter said. "So, anything that would happen in Pittsburgh involving Mike Tomlin would come with his consent and his consent only.

"A loss like last night's might further teams to look into it. Pittsburgh hasn't given any indication that it wants to move on from Mike Tomlin, and this has been the most patient franchise, not just in football, but maybe sports."

Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported on Sunday that the Steelers don't plan to move on from Tomlin via trade or firing, reassuring his future in Pittsburgh is safe.

Though the Steelers fell short of reaching their goals this season, it's fair to say they exceeded expectations in some ways. They came into the year with two quarterbacks who had struggled for their previous teams, but they still managed to make things work and reach the postseason for a second consecutive season.

Pittsburgh has a big offseason ahead of it with both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields on expiring contracts, but the team seems to have faith that Tomlin can navigate another potential obstacle.

The Cleveland Browns are promoting Tommy Rees to replace Ken Dorsey as their offensive coordinator, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Rees joined Cleveland's staff as the passing game specialist and tight ends coach ahead of the 2024 NFL season. Before that, he was an offensive coordinator at Notre Dame and Alabama.

Cleveland made the change at offensive coordinator after it ranked last in points (15.2) and 28th in yards (300.8) per game.

Not all of that is on Dorsey because quarterback Deshaun Watson might be past the point of salvaging. The three-time Pro Bowler threw for 1,148 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions in seven starts.

Running back Nick Chubb also missed nine games and averaged a career-low 3.3 yards per carry.

Still, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Daniel Oyefusi laid out how Dorsey was an imperfect fit for Kevin Stefanski's offense. His presence had been questioned by some within the organization from the moment he arrived.

Unlike Dorsey, Rees won't be burdened with trying to make Watson a franchise QB again. The 29-year-old tore his right Achilles for a second time, which jeopardizes his availability for the 2025 season.

The Athletic's Dianna Russini also reported on Jan. 7 that the Browns "have always planned on going for a quarterback in the upcoming draft," so the new Achilles injury may not have changed much. With the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NFL draft, Cleveland can pivot to a new long-term plan at QB.

Assuming that's the plan, setting up a rookie signal-caller to succeed will be one of Rees' top objectives. His experience playing and coaching in college should be an asset in that regard because he'll be able to connect and communicate with a first-year star coming into the league.

The biggest downside for Rees is that he could find himself out of a job in relatively short order.

Stefanski may not be able to survive another season in which Cleveland falls so short of expectations. Were the Browns to fire him, his replacement would probably bring in his own top assistants.

If Tuesday's press conference from head coach Mike Tomlin was any indication, the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to look quite different during the 2025 season.

But not at head coach.

"I have a feeling that a lot of things are going to change around here," Tomlin told reporters.

That naturally led to questions about the quarterback position since both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields are set for free agency this offseason. Tomlin didn't close the door on bringing back either or both, but he also didn't confirm they will return.

"We are certainly open to considering those guys, but we have a lot of work ahead of us," he said.

Both quarterbacks have publicly expressed their desire to return to the Steelers, but it seems like the team will keep its options open. While Fields went 4-2 as a starter to open the year when Wilson was sidelined, Tomlin turned to the veteran and relied on him for the rest of the season and during the Wild Card Round loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Yet the offense sputtered down the stretch and failed to reach the 20-point mark in any of the final five games, which were all losses.

That five-game losing streak that included another early playoff exit to end the season also brought Tomlin's future with the Steelers under the spotlight. However, he told reporters "I have no message, save your time," when asked about other teams potentially trading for him.

The comments come after ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Sunday that one team called Pittsburgh to ask about trading for the coach just to be told he has a no-trade clause.

"A loss like last night's might further teams to look into it," Schefter said. "Pittsburgh hasn't given any indication that it wants to move on from Mike Tomlin, and this has been the most patient franchise, not just in football, but maybe sports."

The @Ravens have 242 yards rushing tonight. Derrick Henry has 155 of those 😤 pic.twitter.com/ZMBGESwJEj

— NFL (@NFL) January 12, 2025

Tomlin is considered one of the best coaches in the sport and has started his career with a league-record 18 consecutive non-losing seasons. He also has a Super Bowl ring and has maintained the organization as one of the most consistent in sports throughout various roster constructions.

Still, the Steelers have now lost in the AFC Wild Card Round in four of the last five years. Their last playoff win came during the 2016 campaign.

It seems like the organization has settled into a pattern of being good enough to reach the playoffs but not special enough to compete with the NFL's best once it arrives. That has naturally led to some frustration from fans looking for more.

"I don't make excuses for failure," Tomlin said. "I own it. But I also feel like I'm capable. As long as I'm afforded an opportunity to do that, I'll continue. But I certainly understand their frustrations. Probably more important than that, I share it."

That frustration could lead to changes this offseason.

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens was late for the team's 29-10 loss to the Kanas City Chiefs on Christmas Day, according to The Athletic's Mike DeFabo.

"[Head coach Mike] Tomlin asks players to report to games at least two hours before kickoff," DeFabo wrote. "On Dec. 25, Pickens walked through the media entrance an hour and 25 minutes before kickoff. That was after inactive players were announced."

Tomlin "can't answer definitively" if George Pickens was late for Christmas game, saying it was a long time ago

— Gregg Rosenthal (@greggrosenthal) January 14, 2025

Punctuality was apparently a recurring problem for the dynamic pass-catcher.

Mike DeFabo says on @937thefan that Steelers players told him George Pickens is late for practice “often”.

Trade him now.

— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) January 14, 2025

Pickens is one of the more maddening talents in the league.

Watch any of his highlights, and it's clear the 23-year-old has the tools to become a top-tier receiver.

Russ to Pickens for the 36-yard TD!#PITvsBAL on Prime Video
Also streaming on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/gFZChYp6LG

— NFL (@NFL) January 12, 2025

The production is there, too. Through three seasons, he has 2,841 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns despite the Steelers' revolving door at quarterback over that span.

However, Pickens has supplied enough reason to question whether he'll ever fulfill his massive potential.

Someone asked me to describe George Pickens’ whole deal recently and the best I could come up with was “on any given play anything could happen”

— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) January 12, 2025

His effort has been called into question at times. The two unsportsmanlike conduct flags he received in a 44-38 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13 prompted Tomlin to say, "He's just got to grow up, man." Now comes a new report about his tardiness to underscore the concerns about his maturity.

"Nah."

George Pickens on if he's optimistic on the offense going forward 👀 pic.twitter.com/wzsmuR6wx3

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) January 12, 2025

Pickens is entering the final year of his rookie contract, so the Steelers are reaching a point where they have to make a tough decision. If they're waffling at all about whether he's a wise long-term investment, this is their last window to trade him and get something back in return.

In general, Pittsburgh is badly in need of some sort of reset. The Steelers' last playoff win came in the 2016 season.

If the Steelers aren't going to fire Tomlin, he needs to help reset the culture inside the organization. Trading Pickens would be one way to make that happen.

Russell Wilson hopes to sign a new contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers after their 28-14 wild card loss to the Ravens, closing out their season.

"Yeah, that's the plan. I love it here and everything else," Wilson told reporters. "I think we have a great football team. Obviously, it didn't end the way we wanted it to, and I think there's a lot more to do."

QB Russell Wilson has every intention on re-signing with the #Steelers.

“Yeah, that’s the plan. I love it here and everything else. I think we have a great football team. Obviously, it didn’t end the way we wanted it to, and I think there’s a lot more to do.” pic.twitter.com/99VTWY8FgS

— Aaron Becker (@Aaron_M_Becker) January 13, 2025

In Wilson's first season with the Steelers, he accumulated 2,483 yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions over 11 starts with a 51.5 quarterback rating.

As he enters free agency this offseason, the 36-year-old quarterback believes that the organization has "always" known that he wants to stay in Pittsburgh and hopes that the feeling is reciprocated.

"I think they've known that I've always wanted to be here and play here, but it is also a process," Wilson told reporters, per ESPN's Brooke Pryor. "We haven't had those meetings yet, so we will have those and we'll go from there."

Prior to the 2024 season, Wilson signed a one-year, $1.2 million contract with the Steelers after he was released by the Denver Broncos following a two-year stint with them.

He was sidelined for the first six games of the season due to a lingering calf injury that kept him out for most of training camp but returned during Week 7 in the Steelers' 37-15 win over the New York Jets. Wilson helped lead the team to six wins over his seven starts.

In the Steelers' final loss to the Ravens, Wilson threw for 270 yards and two touchdowns on a 69 percent completion rate, capping off his 13th NFL season.

"I thought I played well," Wilson said about his season, per Pryor. "There's moments I wish I played a little bit better. I feel like I had two plays that I wish I had back, just to be honest with you. The one in Kansas City and the one in the Ravens game. Other than that, those two plays in particular, I competed, and I gave it my all. Obviously felt like we didn't play good enough when we needed to as a team. I hated missing games. I hated missing those first six games. I don't really miss games like that and that kind of was disappointing, but I love how guys made plays."

According to Wilson, he will still get a few more chances to advance further into the postseason with the Steelers, telling ESPN's Hannah Storm at the beginning of the season that he wanted to play for five to seven more years.

"That's always been my plan is to play as long as possible," Wilson told Storm. "I've said that since I was a rookie. That's always been my kind of thought process. I feel great physically, mentally, emotionally... If you want to play 20-plus years, you got to love it, and I love the process. I love the mentality, and I love competing with my teammates, so that's always been the plan. And so, I just trust the process and trust that we will have those conversations when the time comes."