First Call: Denver coach tries to tamp down interest in potential Steelers WR target; Jake Guentzel's NHL free agency projection

As Pittsburgh Steelers fans continue to eyeball any news about potentially disgruntled wide receivers, Denver’s coach tries to dismiss headlines about Courtland Sutton.

Former Penguin Jake Guentzel has apparently made himself lots of money over the past few months. We preview the Pirates’ next opponent at PNC Park.

And we examine a rough night for T.J. McConnell and the Indiana Pacers.

All that in Friday’s “First Call.”

‘Court’ is adjourned

Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton is not at the club’s organized team activities. That will be of particular interest to Steelers fans until or unless he signs a new contract with the Broncos.

Apparently, that’s what the 28-year-old pass catcher wants, even though he has two years remaining on his current deal. However, just $2 million in guaranteed salary remains on it.

Given the Steelers’ wide receiver depth issues, Sutton has long been a perceived target of the Black and Gold. Reports out of Denver around the draft connected the Steelers as one of a few teams that inquired about Sutton’s availability.

Broncos coach Sean Payton is acting like he isn’t breaking a sweat over Sutton’s contract status.

“There isn’t any concern. Here’s why,” coach Sean Payton said via News9 in Denver. “That will sort itself out.”

How that will happen exactly wasn’t made clear — either by Payton or the News9 report.

Sutton had 59 catches for 772 yards and 10 touchdowns working with Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson in Denver last year.

Jake shaking it up

The DailyFaceoff.com is projecting that Jake Guentzel is the second-most valuable free agent on the NHL market this summer.

Using AFP Analytics research, the website lists the former Penguins forward as being worth a seven-year contract at $9.25 million per season. Only Florida’s Sam Reinhardt is projected to get a better deal than that at $11.3 million per year over eight seasons.

Guentzel, who ended this season with Carolina after a trade in March, scored 30 goals and tallied 77 points. Reinhardt was at 57 goals and 94 points. Only Toronto’s Auston Matthews, at 69 goals, had more than Reinhardt did this past year.

The AFP data says no potential free agent did more to up his signing value since January than Guentzel did. Four months ago, he was slotted at six years and $7.94 million, a net change of $17.3 million.

Meanwhile, the highest-ranked free-agent Penguins player is Alex Nedeljkovic at two years for $2.3 million per season, 35th in the NHL.

The goalie was a $1.5 million hit this season. That number shouldn’t scare off the Penguins, but with Joel Blomqvist perhaps ready for a promotion, unless the Penguins move Tristan Jarry, I bet Nedeljkovic is elsewhere next season.

Free agency begins July 1.

More sports

• Jaylen Warren appreciative of Russell Wilson's leadership, changes in Steelers offense
• Tim Benz: Paul Skenes impresses without having his A-level stuff, while Pirates bullpen gets failing grade again
• Steelers' 6th-round pick Ryan Watts taking team reps at safety, still refining skills at CB

Less than perfect timing

After blowing a five-run lead Wednesday and a four-run lead Thursday, now the Pirates have to turn around and host the Atlanta Braves for a three-game series starting Friday.

The Braves come in with a 29-18 record. That’s good for second place in the National League East, six games back of the scalding-hot Philadelphia Phillies. They own the best record in Major League Baseball at 37-14. Philly and the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers (33-19) are the only teams in the NL with better records than Atlanta.

That said, the Braves have been rather pedestrian of late, going 5-5 in their last 10 games. Although they just took two of three from the Chicago Cubs. In their past four games, the Braves have won three of them and the pitching has yielded just five runs along the way.

Atlanta’s pitching has been solid all year, giving up only 169 runs all season. That’s the fewest in the National League and just one more than the Yankees, who lead all of MLB with only 168 allowed.

Braves pitchers have been particularly sharp in the strike zone, giving up just 139 walks, the fewest in the NL. The staff’s collective WHIP of 1.20 is third best in the NL behind only the Dodgers (1.11) and Phillies (1.15).

Individually, the Braves boast Chris Sale and Reynaldo Lopez, who has an ERA of 1.54. Sale’s seven wins are second best in the NL. His 70 strikeouts are fifth. Raisel Iglesias has 12 saves; only three NL pitchers have more. Lopez pitches Saturday at PNC Park, and Sale is on the mound Sunday.

At the plate, Atlanta’s team-wide OPS is .730, fourth best in the NL. The club has the fifth-best batting average at .250. Designated hitter Marcel Ozuna is hitting .320 (eighth in the NL) with 15 home runs (first), 47 RBIs (first) and a 1.036 OPS (second).

Not TJ’s Day

Chartiers Valley graduate T.J. McConnell and the Indiana Pacers have had a magic carpet ride through the first two rounds of the NBA’s playoffs. But they’ve hit some turbulence in Boston in the first two games of the Eastern Conference finals.

After blowing a lead late in Game 1 and losing in overtime, the Pacers dropped a 126-110 contest in Massachusetts on Thursday. That gave the Celtics a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Jaylen Brown led the way for Boston with 40 points on 14-of-27 shooting to go along with five rebounds and was a team-best plus-18 in 37 minutes.

Jaylen Brown tied a PLAYOFF CAREER-HIGH with 40 PTS to give the @celtics a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals ☘️

Game 3: Saturday, 8:30pm/et on ABC pic.twitter.com/N5xtkQbYh1

— NBA (@NBA) May 24, 2024

As for McConnell, he only had nine points on 4-of-10 shooting in 17 minutes. He was a minus-18 on the night. All of those numbers were off pace for what McConnell and the Pacers have done this postseason.

The series shifts back to Indianapolis on Saturday for Game 3.

Listen: This week’s “Gerger Construction” Fantasy Sports podcast with Jeff Erickson of RotoWire and Tim Benz