PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers have a decision to make at running back this offseason, choosing who they’ll offer contracts to and how they will go about replacing anyone in their backfield who leaves.

One name that’ll bring plenty of excitement just put on a show during the College Football Playoff. Coming into the Peach Bowl, Arizona State were heavy underdogs to Texas. But behind their superstar running back, the Sun Devils created an electrifying matchup, and took the Longhorns into overtime to decide the winner.

Leaving the tournament, the Sun Devils say goodbye to Cam Skattebo, who will head to the NFL Draft after a Heisman finalist season. With an NCAA-leading 1,711 yards and 21 rushing touchdowns, the 5-foot-11, 215-pound senior will head to the pros, and the Steelers may be a team to watch for him.

The Steelers have an easy decision when it comes to Jaylen Warren. As an undrafted free agent just three seasons ago, Warren will head into the offseason as a restricted free agent. He’ll see a nice pay raise compared to his $985,000 salary in 2024, but will still be inexpensive for the Steelers.

If they choose to bring him back, they likely move on from Najee Harris, letting the former first-round pick walk in free agency and head elsewhere for what will likely be a nice payday. From there, their best bet to replace him is the NFL Draft, where Skattebo would be sitting pretty in the second round.

Allowing Warren to be the explosive runner and pass-catcher, while Skattebo comes in as a bigger back who can pound his way for consistent yardage, while also have big play ability, is exactly what the Steelers have wanted. In a draft class that is loaded with talent at the running back position, it makes plenty of sense to try and find a rookie runner, and the NFL world will be waiting to see what the Sun Devils superstar can do at the next level.

Without wasting a first-round pick on a running back, or having to go out and sign someone in free agency, the Steelers can make a splash with an exciting name who just proved he can shine on the bigger stages.

His final college performance included 30 rushes for 143 yards, two touchdowns, and eight receptions for 99 yards. Next, he’ll be looking to make an impact in the NFL. And the Steelers will be looking for a runner to revamp their backfield.

Make sure to bookmark Steelers On SI to get all your daily Pittsburgh Steelers news, interviews, breakdowns and more!

CONNECTICUT – Several new laws in Connecticut are taking effect in 2025, from expanded paid sick days to minimum wage increases.

JUMP TO:

Here’s a look at some of them that could impact your life:

Connecticut’s minimum wage is increasing from $15.69 per hour to $16.35 per hour.

CT Gov. Ned Lamont signed Public Act 19-4 back in 2019, which implemented five incremental increases in the minimum wage between 2019 and 2023, followed by future adjustments tied to the percentage change in the federal employment cost index.

Back in May, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont signed legislation “strengthening the state’s laws regarding paid sick days protections by expanding them to ensure that more workers are covered and have access to them.”

The state’s existing laws require employers with over 50 employees that are mostly in specific retail and service occupations to provide their employees with up to 40 hours of paid sick leave annually. Effective Jan. 1, the laws will apply to workers of nearly every occupation.

“Our existing paid sick days laws include important protections for certain workers, however there are broad categories left unprotected, and this update will expand this coverage to help ensure that people do not have to choose between going to work sick and sacrificing a day’s wage,” Lamont said.

On Election Day, Connecticut voters approved an amendment to the state’s constitution that could make it easier to cast ballots by mail or through drop boxes in future elections.

The amendment lifts long-standing restrictions that only allowed people in the state to vote by absentee ballot if they were going to be out of town, are sick or disabled, or couldn’t get to a polling location because of religious restrictions.

Effective Jan. 1, the act prohibits anyone from knowingly making another individual liable for “coerced debt” (i.e., generally, certain credit card debt incurred by a domestic violence victim who was coerced into incurring it).

“Specifically, if a victim gives a claimant certain information and documentation that a debt is coerced debt, the claimant must pause all collection activities on the debt for at least 60 days, review the victim’s submission and other available information it has, and then continue or end its collection based on the review,” the bill said.

PA 24-52—sSB 13 “expands the student loan payment tax credit for qualified employers that make eligible student loan payments on a qualified employee’s behalf.”