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First Call: Trevor Lawrence would've been against a trade to Pittsburgh; Tee Higgins contract update | TribLIVE.com
Steelers/NFL

First Call: Trevor Lawrence would've been against a trade to Pittsburgh; Tee Higgins contract update

Tim Benz
Tim Benz

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Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence looks to pass against the Eagles on Nov. 3 in Philadelphia.

Tuesday’s “First Call” has Trevor Lawrence’s reaction to the trade rumors about the Pittsburgh Steelers checking in on his status in Jacksonville.

We also have an update on the contract situation of a Steelers AFC North rival. Plus, Sidney Crosby leads a list of current and former Penguins who played big roles in the 4 Nations Face-Off results Monday.

Glad it amounted to nothing

Even if there was some fire to the smoke about the Steelers allegedly calling Jacksonville to inquire about Trevor Lawrence’s availability in a trade, it sounds like the Jaguars quarterback would have exercised his no-trade clause to block it.

Speaking with Kay Adams on FanDuel TV, Lawrence said his preference is to stay in Jacksonville even if the Steelers did have an interest in acquiring him.

“I have a no-trade clause in my contract. I would know about it if I was getting traded. If that was something that was going to happen, I’d have to be on board with it. Which I’m not,” Lawrence said. “We want to win a Super Bowl here. I think we can do that. I don’t want to leave Jacksonville. I’m happy here. Obviously, not going to Pittsburgh.”

Lawrence says he’s confident that no one currently within the Jacksonville offices leaked that story. But the former No. 1 overall draft pick says he can’t speak to whether or not Pittsburgh really did have an interest.

“I have no idea. I know that we weren’t involved in conversations about that,” Lawrence said. “I don’t know about the Steelers’ desires and wants. … I like Coach (Mike) Tomlin. He’s a good guy. But, no, I’m set here. We love Jacksonville. This is home for us. There’s a lot more on the football side that we’ve yet to accomplish here. I’m excited about what we’re building. The future is very bright.”

New Jaguars coach Liam Cohen tried to assure Lawrence that the story was not coming from anyone currently inside the Jags organization.

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No ‘Tee time’ for Pittsburgh?

For those hoping the Steelers might get a crack at signing Tee Higgins in free agency, another roadblock is going up on that front.

According to SI.com’s James Rapien, the Bengals plan on placing the non-exclusive franchise tag on the receiver for a second straight season. The tag window officially opens Tuesday. It stays open through March 4.

That means another team, such as the receiver-starved Steelers, could negotiate a long-term deal with Higgins. However, it would cost them two first-round picks if the Bengals didn’t match the contract.

Don’t expect that.

If Higgins signs the franchise tag and plays on it, he will make $26.18 million this year. However, the Bengals could tag him and try to reach a long-term deal. That’s something that Rapien says is increasingly likely.

The 26-year-old had 73 catches for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2024. Rapien adds that Higgins changed agents in December, moving on from David Mulugheta. He signed with Rocky Arceneaux and Caitlin Aoki of Alliance Sports.

In eight career games against the Steelers, Higgins has 41 catches for 697 yards. That’s the most yards for him against any team in the NFL in his career.

Ricky Raks axed

Penguins forward Rickard Rakell didn’t play for Team Sweden during Monday night’s 2-1 win over Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off. He and Mika Zibanejad were both scratched with a reported illness, according to Dan Rosen of NHL Network.

Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk didn’t play either. Both are dealing with lingering injuries. Brady Tkachuk left the game against the Swedish team midway as well with a lower-body injury. Pens coach Mike Sullivan, who is coaching Team USA, said that he doesn’t anticipate Brady Tkachuk’s injury will be a problem when it comes to him suiting up against Canada. He only took five shifts.

The Americans had a spot sewn up in Thursday night’s final in Boston before play even began Monday.

Pens defenseman Erik Karlsson assisted on Sweden’s first goal of the night. He ended up with a goal and two assists in the tournament, registering one point in all three games.

Sid sews it up

Team USA gets Canada in Thursday night’s final after a 5-3 win by the Canadians over Finland on Monday. Pens captain Sidney Crosby had an empty-net goal and an assist after belting former Penguin Mikael Granlund at center ice to set up the goal.

However, Granlund stayed hot for the Fins. The Dallas Stars forward scored twice during a 23-second span after getting the overtime game-winner against Sweden on Saturday and picking up an assist versus America on Wednesday.

Canada led that game 4-0 at the 13:19 mark of the third period. That’s when Finland mounted a comeback, scoring three in a row to pull within one goal before Crosby shut the door.

Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via X. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.

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