Steelers sign former Vikings center to three-year deal

Former Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings center Mason Cole intends to sign a three-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Adam Schefter reported Monday night. Field Yates quote tweeted the report, confirming that Coles’ deal is for three years worth $15.75 million with $11 million paid out in the first two years.

Coming out of high school, Cole was a four-star recruit, per the On3 recruiting consensus. He was rated the 83rd best player in the class of 2014 and seventh guard in the nation, where he’d go on to play three seasons with the Wolverines.

Cole is entering his fifth season in the league. The 25-year old center out of Michigan was a third round selection (97 overall) by the Cardinals in 2018, where he would stay for three seasons before spending the his fourth in Minnesota. He was traded in March of 2021 for a sixth-round pick.

It took him a while to get his footing after the trade, but by mid-season, Cole was starting and proving he was worth more than just late draft selections. He would go on to suffer a season-ending elbow injury in late December and hasn’t suited up since. He is expected to make a full recovery in time for the Steelers’ 2022-23 season.

Steelers update inside linebacker’s contract for 2022 season

The Pittsburgh Steelers have offered inside linebacker Robert Spillane a right of first refusal tender, per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor.

“[The right of first refusal tender] means he’d be on the books for about $2.4M in [2022]. Steelers can match any offer, but they don’t get compensation if they decide not to match,” Pryor wrote. In other words, the Steelers will lose the $2.4M if he signs elsewhere. They will lose that much in cap space whether they match or not.

Spillane appeared in 13 games for Pittsburgh this past season, totaling 56 tackles (29 solo), all of which came on Dec. 19 or later. The former Western Michigan standout battled a knee injury throughout the season and was a key reserve for the Steelers, subbing in for Devin Bush and Joe Schobert when need be.

If another team were to sign Spillane, Marcus Allen and Ulysees Gilbert III would fight for his top reserve role. If not, Spillane will see the field as much, or even more than he did in 2021.