First Call: Art Rooney II on Mike Tomlin's contract; Le'Veon Bell won't rule out comeback

Friday’s “First Call” has comments from Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II on Mike Tomlin’s contract situation. Le’Veon Bell won’t rule out a comeback.

A well-known Pittsburgh hockey name explains his a change of heart about his future. Ex-Steeler Chris Hubbard has a new home.

And we look at the Battle of Pennsylvania at PNC Park.

Nothing to see here

On Thursday afternoon, Steelers owner Art Rooney II downplayed any surprise surrounding the decision of head coach Mike Tomlin and the team to avoid extending his contract heading into training camp.

“We’ve done the contract at different points, and people seem to read more into that than is warranted. The contract will get done when it needs to get done,” Rooney said on “Steelers Live” Thursday afternoon. “As (general manager) Omar (Khan) said, I expect Mike to be here for a lot longer than the existing contract. We’ll get it done when the time comes.”

#Steelers President Art Rooney II joined Training Camp Live and spoke about #SteelersCamp, Saint Vincent College, the 2023 schedule and more.@FedEx pic.twitter.com/B5FrwELEqT

— Steelers Live (@SteelersLive) July 27, 2023

Tomlin signed a three-year extension in April 2021. That was in the wake of the Steelers’ late season collapse after an 11-0 start that resulted in a home playoff loss to the Cleveland Browns.

As of now, Tomlin has just two years remaining on his current deal, which locks him in Pittsburgh through the 2024 season.

More sports

• Rod Woodson shares advice for young Steelers corners, reflects on memories at Saint Vincent College
• Pirates trade 1st baseman Carlos Santana to Milwaukee for 18-year-old prospect
• Steelers GM Omar Khan on NFL running back pay debate: 'You don't have to be a mathematician to figure it out'

Waiting for the Bell to ring

According to CBSSports.com, ex-Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell is still considering a comeback.

“I don’t even want to say that I’m done, because I didn’t officially retire,” Bell said to Bryan DeArdo this week. “If I get a call and it’s feeling good, I’m gone.”

It appears Bell isn’t holding his breath, though. At 31, he has other interests — like trying to gain traction with careers in rap and boxing.

Bell is releasing a new single on July 28. He is currently booked to perform in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio, on Sept. 1.

Since ending the 2019 season with the New York Jets, Bell has played with four teams and totaled just 121 rushing attempts. He wasn’t on a roster last year.

Now in Nashville

In a recent “First Call,” we told you that the Tennessee Titans were planning to work out former Steelers offensive tackle Chris Hubbard.

They did. It must’ve gone well enough for the Titans to offer him a contract, because ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler is reporting that Hubbard is signing with the club.

Free agent OT Chris Hubbard is signing with the #Titans, per source. Nine-year vet with starter’s experience gives Tennessee a tackle option while Nicholas Petit-Frere is suspended.

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) July 28, 2023

Over four seasons in Pittsburgh, Hubbard played in 39 games and started 14. That was from 2014-17. Since then, he has been with the Cleveland Browns, starting 35 games over five years.

Brotherly shove

After a rare series win in San Diego, the Pirates are back in action at PNC Park this weekend against their cross-state rivals. They’ll host the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The best way to describe the Phillies of late is consistently inconsistent. Currently, Philly is on an uptick. They’ve won three of their last four games. Prior to that, they dropped four in a row to Cleveland and Milwaukee, after winning four in a row. That stretch included winning three of four against the aforementioned Padres.

This month also featured a three-game sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays, while dropping series to the Washington Nationals and Miami Marlins.

All that results in the Phillies being 55-47 and in second place of the National League East. That’s good enough for the second wild-card slot in the NL. But they are still 10 games back of the division-leading Atlanta Braves.

As for the Pirates, their 45-57 record has them tied with the St. Louis Cardinals for last place in the National League Central.

Mitch Keller starts Game 1 for the Pirates on Friday night against Philadelphia’s Zack Wheeler. The Pirates really need Keller to snap out of his recent funk.

Change of heart

West Mifflin’s Logan Cooley announced Thursday that he has decided to turn pro with the Arizona Coyotes. So he will forgo his remaining three seasons with the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

The No. 3 overall pick in 2022 had stated as recently as May that he planned to return to Minnesota for his sophomore year.

But the Hobey Baker Trophy finalst appears to have pulled a 180.

Cooley sent out a post explaining his actions to fans of the Minnesota program.

Logan Cooley’s message to Gopher fans. pic.twitter.com/4v7e29eXyu

— Minnesota Men’s Hockey (@GopherHockey) July 27, 2023

Over 39 games with the Gophers, Cooley was third in the nation with 60 points (22 goals, 38 assists). According to CapFriendly.com, Cooley’s deal will have a salary cap hit of $950,000.

Arizona visits PPG Paints Arena on Dec. 12. That could be quite a homecoming for Cooley.