AFC Notes: Bengals, Colts, Steelers

Bengals

• Bengals DT B.J. Hill signed a three-year extension worth $30 million after being acquired from the Giants via trade and told the media that he would have chosen to re-sign with the Bengals even if another team offered him more money: “My main goal was to come back here.” (Ben Baby)

• Mike Kaye of Pro Football Network reports LSU CB Cordale Flott has scheduled top 30 visits with a handful of teams, including the Colts.
• According to PFN’s Aaron Wilson, the Colts will hold a private workout in College Station with Texas A&M DL DeMarvin Leal, Jayden Peevy, and Micheal Clemons. 
• Oregon GA Brent Jackson is joining the Colts’ coaching staff as a defensive quality control coach. He worked with the defensive backs at Oregon. (Matt Zenitz)

Steelers

• Steelers HC Mike Tomlin on the team signing QB Mitchell Trubisky so quickly in free agency: “We were really interested in Mitch and he was really interested in us. He’s been a winner, he’s got experience and youth. So much of his profile was attractive to us.” (Gerry Dulac)
• Trubisky’s contract with the Steelers is for two years at $14.285 million with a $5.25 million signing bonus.  It includes base salaries of $1.035 million and $8 million. (Howard Balzer)
• Tomlin on new LB Myles Jack: “The thing that fires me up the most is the level of excitement he had. It didn’t take long in a phone conversation to realize he was just as fired up about being a part of us and we were about having him.” (Dulac)
• Tomlin also said he was optimistic about the possible return of DE Stephon Tuitt who sat out 2021 due to personal reasons, yet added: “I don’t have any definitive information regarding his participating in 2022.” (Dulac)
• Tomlin was also willing to speak about his relationship with coach Brian Flores: “I wanted to stay close to Brian when his legal issues started. I just didn’t want him to feel like he was on an island. From a coaching fraternity standpoint, I owed him that. I was in a position to provide that…Senior defensive assistant and linebacker coach is his title, but there are so many ways that he’s going to help us and help me. His contributions are going to be significant.” (Brooke Pryor)
• Tomlin continued to speak about signing Flores to his staff: “To have an opportunity to impact the game in a positive way, to impact society in a positive way. It’s continually an honor to be a part of something that the Rooney family started and led for a long time before my existence here.” (Pryor)
• Steelers GM Kevin Colbert revealed that the team didn’t want to give up draft capital to add a veteran quarterback, which is why they went after Trubisky. (Pryor)
• Colbert said the team will still likely look for a quarterback in the draft: “We’ve been at top quarterback pro days for the first time in a long time because we may be in a position where we have (a need). Does that mean we’re taking one? Possibly.” (Pryor)
• As for the current state of the roster, Colbert says he believes the Steelers have starting-caliber players at around 25 positions and still have a hole to fill at strong safety. (Pryor)
• Colbert noted that the team has interviewed 16 candidates fr the vacant GM position and will continue their second round of interviews after the draft. (Pryor)
• Colbert said the team has Steelers have targeted young veteran players in free agency: “Our preference is always to add players coming off of their first contract or as close to their first contract as they can be.” (Pryor)
• Ryan Dunleavy is hearing that the Steelers would consider trading up if the quarterback they want makes it beyond the ninth overall pick.