Bengals

Bengals QB Joe Flacco is happy to be back with the team, but still wishes he were a starter somewhere else and is angry that other franchises were unwilling to take a chance on him.

“I love the building,” Flacco told the team website. “I enjoyed being there, and I’m excited about being back with the fellas.”

“And believe me, I wish I were a guy somewhere,” Flacco said, via Ben Baby. “And I think teams are dumb for not having me be that guy. I feel like I have unfinished business. That’s part of why I’m still here and playing and not being one of those guys to go sign somewhere else. Yeah, it pisses me off a little bit, but at the same time, like, I’m very very happy to be here I feel like I can help the team win.” 

Ravens

• ESPN published an in-depth article going behind the scenes of the failed trade between the Ravens and the Raiders for DE Maxx Crosby. One big takeaway is that sources with the Raiders and Crosby’s camp are skeptical that Baltimore pulled out purely for medical reasons.
• Per ESPN, Crosby’s knee was a concern for Baltimore during negotiations and something the two sides discussed beforehand. Multiple sources with direct knowledge said the Raiders and Crosby were transparent, and the Ravens did extensive research on Crosby’s rehab and recovery timeline: “They had access to imaging and the doctors’ reports on it.” 
• Another told ESPN: “[The Ravens] had a lot of information at their disposal and still green-lit the trade. They did enough legwork that should have eliminated some of the concern.”
• As far as the timeline, Crosby (as he shared on his podcast) flew into Washington, D.C., and drove up to Baltimore on Monday, March 9. On Tuesday, March 10, he arrived at the team building and did his entry physical and MRI. He didn’t meet GM Eric DeCosta or HC Jesse Minter until long after he arrived: “I thought I was going to see [DeCosta] when I first got there. I don’t know why. I’m not going to speculate. He just made the trade, and I didn’t see him for five hours.”
• Crosby said when he did meet DeCosta, the energy was clearly off. The GM told him one of the doctors had concerns about his knee. ESPN says Baltimore consulted their in-house physician and others outside the organization, including Dr. Robert Cooper, the Cowboys’ physician. The consensus was that Crosby would be fine in 2026, but there were concerns about a degenerative condition in his knee that would wear down over the next few years. 
• The ESPN report mentions that the Ravens’ signing of DE Trey Hendrickson immediately after backing out of the Crosby deal was viewed suspiciously. DeCosta admitted he was in contact with Hendrickson on March 9 but claimed the plan was to reallocate the money they had offered C Tyler Linderbaum after he signed with the Raiders on a three-year, $81 million deal: “We started some discussions with him and his agent, thinking that potentially we’d have two pass rushers on the defensive line on both sides of the line. That was definitely a possibility for us.”
• Baltimore’s best offer to Linderbaum was four years and $88 million. The Ravens, like other teams, balked at Hendrickson’s initial asking price of $40 million per year on Monday. But when his price dropped, they were able to get something done for four years, $112 million, $60 million guaranteed, and an average of $28 million per season. 

Steelers

• The Steelers signed DE Esezi Otomewo to a one-year, $1.75 million deal that includes a $187,500 signing bonus and a $1.562 million salary. (Wilson)
• The Steelers signed DT Sebastian Joseph-Day to a two-year, $11 million deal that includes a $4.7 million signing bonus and salaries of $1.3 million in 2026 and $5 million in 2027. (Wilson)
• Steelers CB Jamel Dean‘s three-year, $36.750 million contract includes a $12 million signing bonus. He’ll make base salaries of $1,500,000 in 2026, $8,000,000 in 2027, and $11,250,000 in 2028. He can also earn a $4,000,000 roster bonus in 2027. (OverTheCap)
• North Dakota State QB Cole Payton, Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez, Washington CB Tacario Davis and Georgia Tech G Keylan Rutledge visited the Steelers. (Brian Batko)
• Alabama WR Germie Bernard said he’ll take a 30 visit with the Steelers. (Alex Kozora)
• LSU LB Harold Perkins will take a 30 visit with the Steelers. (Ryan Fowler)