Steelers to retire Franco Harris' No. 32 jersey, name starting QB, and flip backups. Update about the Bears stadium, Giants WR Slayton to stay, Raiders TE Waller ready to play, and more football news
Steelers to retire Franco Harris' No. 32 jersey
The Pittsburgh Steelers have announced they will be retiring the No. 32 jersey of legendary running back Franco Harris. Harris's number will be retired at halftime of the week 16 game, CBS reported. Harris will be only the third Steeler player to have his jersey number retired, joining no. 75 Joe Green and no. 70 Ernie Stautner.
Harris is remembered in Pittsburgh for the so-called "immaculate reception" of Dec. 23, 1972, catching Terry Bradshaw's deflected pass and turning it into a 40-yard touchdown, leading the Steelers to a 13-7 victory against the Oakland Raiders for the first playoff win in franchise history.
Harris was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.
Steelers name starting QB and flip backups
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has named former Bears Pro Bowler Mitch Trubisky as starting quarterback. He also tapped rookie Kenny Pickett as the primary backup QB, supplanting Mason Rudolph, who falls to the #3 backup slot. Trubisky was also named one of the Steelers' offensive captains on Monday, CBSSports reported.
Bears release new stadium plans as Soldier Field gets new type of grass
The Chicago Bears have released a rendering of a new potential stadium at Arlington Park. The team is seeking money from the public for the new stadium project. However, more than 650 residents of Arlington Heights have signed a petition that calls for an ordinance barring public financing of the project, ABC 7 Chicago reported.
At the same time, with less than a week before the season opener versus the 49ers on Sunday, Soldier Field had its grass replaced with Bermuda grass. The benefit of this grass is that it has the capacity to be played upon immediately after its installation, NBC Sports reported.
The stadium's grass has been an ongoing problem for years. The field was previously sodded with Kentucky bluegrass, which holds better in colder weather. There is a possibility that Soldier Field will need to be re-sodded in the later weeks of the season.
Giants WR Slayton takes pay cut to remain with New York
Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton has taken a pay cut to remain with New York. He dropped his salary from $2.54 million to the league minimum of $965,000, NFL.com reported. Slayton can earn some of the money back through playtime incentives. The reduction will save the Giants roughly $1.6 million in salary cap space.
Raiders TE Waller hamstring recovery, ready to play, contract issues lingering
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller, who missed the majority of training camp due to a hamstring injury, is ready to return in Week 1. However, the issue of his new contract has yet to be settled. Waller confirmed he is ready to play and isn't sweating a contract situation, as he has two seasons remaining currently. He's set to earn 7 million this season with a 6.25 million base salary, NFL.com reported.
Lions already have sellout crowd against Eagles for week 1
The Detroit Lions will have a capacity crowd on Sunday as they host the Philadelphia Eagles in the season opener at Ford Field, Sports Illustrated reported. Head coach Dan Campbell will lead his team against a solid NFC East foe amid an opportunity to showcase the adjustments Detroit has made since last season.