Ravens

Ravens first-round S Malaki Starks has been focusing on the mental side of the game so he can speed up his level of play on the field. 

“The more you learn, the faster you can play,” Starks said, via Clifton Brown of the team’s website. “You can be free, and I think I just want to keep expanding my knowledge and keep diving into the system.”

On a defense with Kyle Hamilton, Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins in the secondary, Starks has no issue playing wherever he’s needed to get on the field. 

“I like being anywhere, if I’m being honest. We talk about a positionless defense. I’ve been playing a lot of free safety, but I’ve also been the other safety, and I got some reps at dime, as well, so just being able to move around.”

Through his first offseason workout in the pros, Starks has been taking a back seat and learning from the veterans before trying to assume a bigger role than he was used to at Georgia. 

“The first thing is don’t bite off more than you can chew. So, just really realizing my place in this defense, in this organization, and you have to know what to do before you can start demanding stuff from other people. I think as a leader, you shouldn’t ask somebody to do something that you wouldn’t do yourself, and then just also, when I got to the University of Georgia, I had to learn how to follow the right people before I could lead.”

Steelers 

• The Steelers finally landed Aaron Rodgers as their incumbent starting quarterback for 2025 following a drawn-out process that lasted several months. According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Rodgers made it a point to address his teammates after signing to assure them he’s “all in” with the Steelers. 
• Breer reports Rodgers wanted to “compartmentalize his life” and manage his personal matters before joining the team. With that set, he adds the early word is that the veteran quarterback is assimilating well and doesn’t have a massive learning curve for the offense. 
• Per Steelers beat reporter Mark Kaboly, Pittsburgh views TE Jonnu Smith as a tight end, a slot receiver and a fullback. They also see CB Jalen Ramsey as an outside corner, slot corner and safety. 
• According to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh was not actively shopping S Minkah Fitzpatrick, but was willing to listen to interested teams. They ultimately decided the lack of splash plays by Fitzpatrick over the past few seasons was not worth what they were paying him. 
• Steelers S DeShon Elliott signed a two-year, $12.25 million contract extension with the team that includes $9.21 million guaranteed with $6 million paid as a signing bonus and $6.17 million in guaranteed new money. (OTC)
• If he is on the roster on the 5th day of the 2026 league year, he will earn a $2.04 million roster bonus. On the 5th day of the 2027 league year, he can earn a $2.125 million roster bonus. The extension increased his 2025 salary cap number by $170,000.