Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger likely will be playing with a restructured contract in 2021, and Steelers president Art Rooney II is confident Roethlisberger can guide the franchise to success. ‘We think Ben played at a high level last year,’ Rooney recently told the team’s website. ‘We won our division and set a franchise record for most consecutive wins to open a season, so there was a lot of good stuff. Ben was as disappointed as anybody the way it ended. That last game is just hard to swallow, and I think in part Ben wants to come back and leave on a high note. We’re still confident he has the ability to do that. His arm, I would say, is as strong or almost as strong as ever, so I think he’s certainly capable of getting the job done. Part of the concern is putting a (competitive) team around him, and we had a good discussion about that. We know there are still a lot of pieces to the puzzle that still have to fall into place this season, and we’re hard at work trying to make that happen.’

New England Patriots LB Dont’a Hightower, SS Patrick Chung and OT Marcus Cannon intend to play in 2021 after opting out of 2020.

New York Giants OT Nate Solder intends to play in 2021 after opting out of the 2020 season.

Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson is still ‘off limits’ as the Texans are informing interested teams. The Texans don’t view free agency or the start of the NFL draft as a deadline for this situation.

North Carolina RB Javonte Williams led the country with 76 missed tackles on running plays and ranked second with 27 rushes of 15-plus yards in 2020.

Green Bay Packers TE Robert Tonyan was the only tight end to have 50 or more receptions without a drop in 2020.

Louisville RB Javian Hawkins said he has talked with scouts from the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, Arizona Cardinals, New Orleans Saints, Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills and Atlanta Falcons. He said he has several virtual meetings scheduled for March.

Free-agent DE J.J. Watt (Texans) has received multiple contract offers this offseason, according to sources. The best offer is believed to be $15 million to $16 million per season.

Chicago Bears exclusive rights free-agent RB Ryan Nall agreed to terms on a new contract with the Bears Thursday, Feb. 25. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.

San Francisco 49ers impending free-agent CB Dontae Johnson is a player the 49ers are expected to try to re-sign this offseason.