First Call: Mike Tomlin's quote about Brandon Aiyuk last year; still no contract extension for Sidney Crosby

In Thursday’s “First Call,” we look back on what Mike Tomlin said about Brandon Aiyuk after he scorched the Pittsburgh Steelers last September.

We are still waiting for a Sidney Crosby contract extension. A former Steeler in Baltimore is dealing with a knee injury.

And the picture is getting awfully bleak for the Pirates.

What was said

Those tracking the Brandon Aiyuk trade saga probably remember when the San Francisco 49ers wide receiver roasted the Steelers for two touchdowns on eight catches and 129 yards in last year’s season opener in Pittsburgh.

Purdy to Aiyuk! First TD on this Sunday

????: #SFvsPIT on FOX
????: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/G4uoYVOqQn pic.twitter.com/0JVXDA4VQ5

— NFL (@NFL) September 10, 2023

After that game, I asked Steelers coach Mike Tomlin what he thought of Aiyuk’s performance and if it was a byproduct of the defense attempting to take away other star players on San Francisco’s offense.

“Certainly, some of his exploits had to do with our desire to minimize (George) Kittle, and Deebo (Samuel) and Christian (McCaffrey),” Tomlin said. “But that’s what makes awesome units challenging. They’ve got a lot of capable people who are able to rise up and make plays when others garner attention. So, I don’t think any of that is surprising to us.

“His evolution, particularly over the latter half of (2022), is kind of reflective of that performance. We tip our cap to him. He made a combat 50-50 catch for a touchdown. He made some other significant plays. He played a really good football game.”

Aiyuk finished second in the NFL with 17.9 yards per reception last year, behind only potential teammate George Pickens (18.1).

Some Steelers fans who are dubious about this possible acquisition think that Aiyuk is just a product of playing in a good system with a bunch of other Pro Bowlers.

I don’t think that. I get the impression that the Steelers may have thought that 11 months ago. But based on Tomlin’s comments after Aiyuk put on a show on the North Shore, he opened some eyes at Acrisure Stadium in Week 1 a year ago.

At least those eyes are open to the point that general manager Omar Khan is reportedly set to sign Aiyuk to a massive contract extension. However, he may not be offering the 49ers the compensation they are looking for in terms of players heading west in return. 

More sports

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No news

Many Penguins fans were hoping for an update on Sidney Crosby’s contract Wednesday. After all, it was Aug. 7, Crosby’s birthday and the notoriously superstitious No. 87 loves all things 8/7. As a result, many thought a contract extension could be announced.

But that didn’t happen.

The Penguins captain just turned 37 years old and is heading into his 19th season. The three-time Stanley Cup champion has previously expressed a desire to stay in Pittsburgh his whole career and is coming off a 94-point campaign in 2023-24.

It’s the final year of his $8.7 million contract. That means he is allowed to sign an extension at any point leading up to or during this season.

Should Crosby play through the end of this year without a contract, he would become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career. Barring injury or an unforeseen sudden decline in play, the bidding would be substantial despite his age.

As discussed on the “Madden Monday” podcast this week, Mark Madden of 105.9 The X and TribLive still expects Sid to ink a deal. But now that he has been eligible to do so for over a month and 8/7 has passed, it’s fair to start wondering why the process is dragging on a bit.

Optimists are no doubt hoping this is a sign the Penguins are trying to work out a trade to get the roster some help, and they are waiting on finalizing Crosby’s agreement until closer to training camp, depending on what kind of salary cap room is left.

Arthur out

Former Steeler Arthur Maulet is dealing with a knee injury in Baltimore. It may be substantial enough that he’ll miss some regular season games.

According to the NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe, Maulet has been having a strong training camp for the Ravens. He is getting one of his knees scoped and might be on the shelf through the end of September.

Ravens CB Arthur Maulet will have a scope on his knee later this week, per source. Expectation is he misses some regular season time — possibly September — but it's not season ending.

Maulet has been 1 of Ravens top performers this camp as a slot CB/blitzer. They will miss him. pic.twitter.com/hQ3Zyrnosv

— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) August 7, 2024

John Harbaugh confirmed the injury during a Wednesday news conference.

This summer, Maulet has already had some good-natured verbal jousting with his former teammate, Patrick Queen, now of the Steelers. But those teams don’t play each other until November. So Maulet should be back on the field by then.

Bad to worse

As if their 9-8 (10 innings) loss to the San Diego Padres wasn’t bad enough, the Pirates also watched a number of other teams in the National League wild card hunt take care of business Wednesday.

The Arizona Diamondback won twice in Cleveland, sweeping a doubleheader by scores of 7-3 and 5-3. The Diamondbacks are tied with the Padres atop the wild card standings with identical 63-52 records.

The Atlanta Braves, who are clinging to the third and final wild card spot, lost a fourth consecutive game 8-5. But they fell to the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers.

The three teams between the Pirates and the Braves in the standings — the Mets, Cardinals and Giants — were also all winners Wednesday. New York beat the Colorado Rockies, 5-3, in Denver to pull within a half-game of the Braves. St. Louis (two games back of Atlanta) took out the Tampa Bay Rays, 5-2, and San Francisco (3½ games back of Atlanta) got a 7-4 victory in Washington.

Meanwhile, the Pirates are now four games behind the Braves in the wild card chase, and eight behind the Brewers. Their record (56-57) has dipped below .500 for the first time since July 13. Their three-game losing streak is the club’s longest since May 7-10.

Listen: Tim Benz and Brian Metzer discuss the wait for Sidney Crosby’s contract extension.