Steelers re-sign corner Maulet
Defensive back to get two-year deal
The Steelers re-signed another of their pending free agents Saturday just hours before he was set to hit unrestricted free agency. Arthur Maulet, who played 379 snaps as a slot corner last season, signed a two-year deal to remain with the Steelers.
Maulet’s signing comes one day after Miles Killebrew, a backup strong safety, also signed a twoyear deal to remain with the Steelers.
Maulet and Killebrew joined the Steelers last year when they were signed as free agents.
Maulet, who previously played for the Saints, Colts and Jets, beat out Antoine Brooks for a roster spot last summer. He played in 16 games, starting two as he was used with a number of other players in the slot.
Maulet, 28, rotated in the slot with Tre Norwood and Cam Sutton. Known for his run-stopping abilities, he finished with a career-high 47 tackles.
Maulet and Killebrew were two of five Steelers defensive backs who played on expiring contracts last season.
Starting outside corner Joe Haden and starting strong safety Terrell Edmunds will become unrestricted free agents next week as will Ahkello Witherspoon, an outside corner who played a prominent role in the secondary in the second half of the season.
The legal tampering period begins at noon Monday, when players can agree to terms with new teams.
Players can officially sign their new contracts at 4 p.m. Wednesday, the first day of the new league year.
Cowboys
Dallas agreed to trade receiver Amari Cooper to the Browns for a swap of draft picks. Cooper and a 2022 sixth-round draft pick will go to Cleveland, and a fifthround pick and sixth-round pick will come back to Dallas. The move saves $20 million in cash in terms of Cooper’s base salary for 2022 and it clears $16 million in 2022 cap space. The Browns entered this offseason on the hunt to rebuild Baker Mayfield’s wide receiving corps, which was a massive disappointment last year. The Browns had high hopes that Odell Beckham Jr. could return to being a No. 1 wide receiver after suffering a season-ending injury in 2020. Instead, he was released by the team in early November. OBJ went on to win a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams.
Panthers
Carolina will make an “aggressive” offer for Deshaun Watson as soon as the Houston quarterback waives his no-trade clause for them to negotiate with the Houston Texans, a league source said. The Panthers attempted to trade for Watson, 26, early last offseason before reports surfaced of 22 lawsuits and 10 criminal complaints of sexual misconduct against the three-time Pro Bowl selection. A grand jury in Houston voted Friday not to indict Watson on the criminal charges.
Falcons
Atlanta is restructuring quarterback Matt Ryan’s contract, lowering the $48,662,500 cap hit he was initially going to be at for the 2022 season by $12 million. At this month’s NFL combine, Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot acknowledged some of the team’s massive contracts were “the elephantin the room.”