AFC Notes: Russell Wilson, Mike Tomlin, Bengals, Ravens, Steelers

Bengals

New Bengals TE Mike Gesicki said he’s reached out to Joe Burrow this offseason and has already recognized the quarterbacks’ leadership around the team. 

“I’m not going to bother him too much. But he’s been great. He’s been somebody I’ve been able to reach out to and have conversations,” Gesicki said, via ProFootballTalk. “He’s been a leader in the locker room who a lot of guys look to. I’m definitely one of those guys looking to him. I’ve heard great things about him as a teammate. He’s easy to talk to. Good sense of humor.”

• Cincinnati DT Jowon Briggs will take an official visit with the Bengals, though it will count as a local visit. (Tony Pauline)
• Missouri OT Javon Foster has an official visit scheduled with the Bengals. (Ryan Fowler)

Ravens

• Ravens GM Eric DeCosta on trading down for more draft picks: “I like the idea of having more picks, but I’d want to have more picks in a specific range of the draft.” (Jeff Zrebiec)
• DeCosta also mentioned he expects Baltimore’s draft board to be set initially by the end of the week with potential revisions the week of the draft. (Zrebiec)
• Regarding fifth-year options for OLB Odafe Oweh and WR Rashod Bateman, DeCosta stated they will be figured out after the draft. (Zrebiec)
• DeCosta commented on the next few drafts: “We see this year’s draft and next year’s draft as a chance to build up the depth again.” (Zrebiec)
• He also touched on a position they are prioritizing: “We would love to add a talented corner at some point in this draft.” (Zrebiec)
• When talking about LB Trenton Simpson, DeCosta believes he improved as much as anyone on the team last year and it sounds like he’s expected to step into a starting job. (Zrebiec)
• Despite adding RB Derrick Henry, DeCosta said they are likely to add another player to the room in the draft. (Zrebiec)
• Retaining LB Kyle Van Noy was the final item on DeCosta’s pre-draft checklist: “I don’t know that we’ll really do a lot over the next couple of weeks.” (Zrebiec)
• DeCosta also called the draft average for edge rushers: “The challenge for us will be who’s that next tier group of guys in that sweet spot between the 25th player to the 45th player that we have a chance to get either at 30 or at 62.” (Jamison Hensley)
• Kansas DE Austin Booker took an official 30 visit with the Ravens. (Billy Marshall)
• Van Noy’s two-year, $9 million deal includes a $3.25 million signing bonus, a $2 million guaranteed salary in 2024, and a non-guaranteed $2.75 million salary in 2025. He can also earn a $1 million roster bonus in 2025. (OverTheCap)

Steelers

Steelers QB Russell Wilson said he’s grateful to land in Pittsburgh and play under HC Mike Tomlin. 

“To play 13 years in the NFL has been a dream come true,” Wilson said, via Okla Jones of Essence.com. “To be able to play for Mike Tomlin; to stand side by side with him and try to accomplish all the goals that I want to accomplish with the Steelers organization, and what that represents for the NFL, is one of the greatest gifts in the world.”

Wilson was just the second Black quarterback to win a Super Bowl. He feels he helped create more opportunities for players of his ethnicity at quarterback. 

“For me to be able to go to back-to-back Super Bowls, and win one of them, I think opened up a lot of doors,” Wilson said. “Now you see guys like Patrick Mahomes who won it; it’s really just us so far, but there’s more to come.”

• Oregon C Jackson Powers-Johnson and Notre Dame OT Blake Fisher took official 30 visits with the Steelers. (Brian Batko)