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brooke prior
PITTSBURGH–For his birthday, pittsburgh steelers get aaron rodgers A new receiver.
Team previously awarded minnesota vikings wide receiver adam thielen Discounts close on Tuesday. The change comes amid several moves in which the Steelers also waived veteran cornerback darius slayAdditionally, the Steelers are signing cornerback asante samuel jrFrom the practice squad to the active roster, a source told ESPN,
Thielen was waived by the Vikings a day after he suffered a concussion in the team’s 26–0 loss. Seattle SeahawksVikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said Thielen’s agent asked for his release last week as the 35-year-old receiver sought to make a bigger contribution elsewhere in the final weeks of his final season before retirement, Once Minnesota’s wide receiver corps returns to full strength jordan addisonThielen’s role diminished after his reinstatement. He played only three snaps in his final game against the Packers in Week 12.
“Since last spring, I knew this would be my last season playing in the National Football League,” Thielen wrote in a post on social media. “Given that, the Vikings offered me the opportunity to compete elsewhere for the last few weeks of my career.”
Thielen is now dealing with a Steelers team that has struggled to generate much offense this season. With Rodgers, who turns 42 on Tuesday, the Steelers’ passing attack ranks 24th in the league, averaging just 187.8 yards per game. DK MetcalfAcquired by the Steelers in a blockbuster trade this spring, leads the team with 605 receiving yards and five touchdown receptions, but is averaging a career-low 50.4 yards per game. Receiver depth behind Metcalf also lacking after another Steelers trade george pickens till dallas cowboys In the offseason. calvin austin iii He has the next most yards among Steelers wide receivers with 278, and he averages only 27.8 yards per game.
Lost 26-7 after completing less than 50% of their pass attempts buffalo bill On Sunday, when Rodgers was asked how he can get on the same page with them, especially on deep balls, he called out his wide receivers.
“When there’s a film session, everybody comes,” Rodgers said of how to resolve issues. “And when I examine a path, I choose the right path. Like, jonnu [Smith] And I just wasn’t on the same page. I checked the in-breaker, and it triggered the out-breaker. You know, Jonnu is a true professional, so I’m sure he’s upset about this.”
Although Thielen and Rodgers spent most of their careers on opposite sides of the Vikings–Packers rivalry and never played together, the two developed a friendship through golf and the American Century Classic. Rodgers and Thielen are the oldest active quarterback and receiver in the NFL, respectively.
Thielen was acquired by Minnesota earlier this year for his second stint with the franchise, as the Vikings sent carolina panthers A 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027 fourth-round pick for Thielen, a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick. Thielen officially finished his Minnesota career ranked No. 3 in career touchdown catches (55), fourth in receptions (542) and fifth in receiving yards (6,751).
In 11 games this season, Thielen caught eight passes for 69 yards. He most recently had a 1,000-yard season in 2023, when he had 1,014 yards on 103 receptions for the Panthers.
And when the Steelers added Thielen on Tuesday, they also gave up a veteran on the opposite side of the ball in Slay. Agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Slay and the Steelers parted ways by mutual consent. Slay is interested in continuing to play and will consider signing with other teams, his agents told Schefter.
Slay, 34, was a healthy scratch for Sunday’s game against the Bills as the Steelers opted to promote Samuel to the active roster for the game.
In his weekly press conference on Tuesday, coach Mike Tomlin said that inactiveing Slay was more about seeing what they have in Samuel, whom the team signed to the practice squad on November 11, rather than Slay’s recent performance.
Fresh off winning the Super Bowl with philadelphia eaglesSlay signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Steelers in free agency and started nine games in Pittsburgh this season. He missed the Week 11 game against cincinnati bengals Lost due to injury in Week 10 los angeles chargersAnd when he returned for the Week 12 game against Chicago BearsHe came off the bench as a former undrafted free agent james pierre moved into the opposite starting role Joey Porter Jr.,
Slay played just 20 snaps (30.8%) against the Bears, his lowest of the season other than the injury-plagued Chargers game. Slay finished his brief Steelers tenure with 3 passes defensed, 1 fumble recovery, 36 total tackles and 1 tackle for loss. With Slay inactive against the Bills, the Steelers had to turn to Samuel when Pierre was out with an injury. Samuel, who spent 14 months between NFL action after recovering from spinal fusion surgery, played 28 defensive snaps (37.8%) and recorded three total tackles.
With Slay gone and Pierre still in the concussion protocol, Samuel could be in line for even more work on Sunday against the Ravens.
“We liked what we saw,” Tomlin said of Samuel. “And we’ll make a decision about how we’ll divide the labor sometime later this week.”
