The city of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Steelers appear to be moving closer to hosting the 2026 NFL Draft.

According to CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones, there is a “strong sense” from the league meetings in Nashville this week that the Steelers and the city will be awarded the 2026 NFL Draft, with an official announcement expected soon.

At the NFL league meetings here in Nashville, there’s a strong sense that Pittsburgh will be awarded the 2026 NFL draft, sources tell @NFLonCBS. Announcement later today is possible.

— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) May 22, 2024

Pittsburgh officially submitted its bid to host either the 2026 or 2027 NFL Draft back in February, and in late April it was reported by WTAE’s Andrew Stockey that the Steelers were on the short list to host the draft in 2026 or 2027.

Team president and owner Art Rooney II stated during a Q&A session last week at Acrisure Stadium during a community event that things were looking good regarding the bid to host the draft, and that the team was expecting to hear at some point this week. 

Now, that announcement appears to be on the horizon, with some potentially great news for not only the city, but the franchise as well.

Back in February, Pittsburgh officially announced its bid to host the draft, releasing a hype video in the process to make clear their interest in hosting the draft. The official bid to host the draft came after rumors of the city being a future destination started up last fall  as NFL personnel reportedly were scouting locations to possibly hold the event in Pittsburgh.

The bid is in!

We have officially submitted Pittsburgh’s NFL Draft Bid to host the event in 2026 or 2027.@vstpgh | @Innamo | @gainey_ed pic.twitter.com/cWY8VppX0j

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) February 16, 2024

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Then, shortly after the 2023 season concluded, Rooney started to make his public push for the city to host the draft, confirming the team’s interest, which is what the Steelers have had as a goal since the NFL began shopping locations after holding the draft at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

During the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit, which saw more than 775,000 fans attend the three-day event in the Motor City, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell hinted that Pittsburgh could be coming soon as a host city for the NFL Draft in either 2026 or 2027.

“They’re in the mix,” Goodell said during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show. “I’ll tell you that. So that may be coming soon.”

Soon appears to have arrived. We’ll see if an official announcement is made today from Nashville.

If Pittsburgh is awarded the 2026 NFL Draft, it would have quite the economic impact on the city. According to Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, who spoke with WPXI’s Jenna Harner late last week, the draft coming to Pittsburgh would have an economic impact between $100-$150 million.

“We’re estimating there’ll be over 300 to 350,000 visitors that would come to Pittsburgh, putting an economic impact anywhere from 100 million to $150 million,” Fitzgerald said to Harner, according to WPXI.com. “And that’s I think being actually somewhat conservative.”

Fitzgerald might be a bit conservative there, especially with the impact the draft had on Detroit, bringing in an estimated $165 million over the three-day draft.

Rooney stated that having the draft in Pittsburgh would be the biggest visitor event in the city’s history.

“I think it’d probably be the biggest visitor event in the history of the city,” Rooney said in February to WTAE’s Andrew Stockey. “And so it’s very exciting. We think where Pittsburgh is located, not only will we have thousands of Steeler fans, but would have thousands of fans from all of the NFL cities that are, you know, let’s say within a 500-mile radius of Pittsburgh. So, I think it would be, number one, a huge visitor event for the city.”

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — One of the biggest threats during severe weather is the trees in your yard. 

Summer isn’t here just yet, but Southwestern Pennsylvania has seen its fair share of intense weather, including 10 tornadoes this month, and more severe weather could be on the way this week.

Can you do anything to make sure your trees are stormproof? KDKA-TV went to the professionals who were out on a job Tuesday to find out.

Monster Tree Service of North Pittsburgh is staying busy keeping trees healthy, removing trees before severe weather hits, and answering calls after storms send trees crashing down onto yards, homes, or vehicles.

Owner of Monster Tree Service of North Pittsburgh, Cindy Starr Stewart, said every tree poses a risk, especially the ones close to your home.

“We don’t have a crystal ball, so people often want us to come and want us to know if this tree is safe. We don’t know. There’s trees that look like they’re going to fall, and they stand forever, and there’s trees that look perfectly fine, then a storm comes through, and they fall,” she said.

Stewart said to help maintain a tree and make it healthier, don’t do volcano mulching that buries the trunk in mulch, and get the tree pruned if it has a lot of leaves and branches because they act like a sail in the wind.

“One of the things people have to understand is what kind of risk are they willing to take, and if branches are hanging over their home, especially if they haven’t had them pruned recently, one of the things you can do is get some of that deadwood pruned out of your trees,” Stewart said.

She said that dead trees can be easy to spot, including if there are no leaves on them right now.

“If you look up in a tree and see areas that aren’t leafing like they used to, and they seem thinner than other areas. The other things you’re looking for are splits or cracks in the tree,” Stewart said.

Keep in mind that it’s always cheaper and safer to take down a tree while it’s alive.

“Because once it’s dead, it’s a lot more expensive to take care of and a lot more dangerous,” Stewart said.

So, when should you call a certified arborist to take a look?

“If people are looking out at their trees and they see, ‘I have trees that are close to my house, I have trees that keep dropping dead wood in my yard, I have trees that if they did fall it would take out my home,’” Stewart said.

Tree removals can cost thousands of dollars, but Monster Tree Service and most other tree service companies do consultations at no cost. They help you make a good decision on whether to maintain or remove a tree.

“We’re here to help; we are like on the front line, and we know that, and so we are always in the ready, always paying attention to the weather, and ready to help people because it is scary. It’s a big deal,” Stewart said.

“Keeping your trees safe and healthy is really important, and it’s an investment. It’s an investment in your property, it’s an investment in your homes, [and] it’s an investment in your peace of mind for your family,” she added. 

Check your home insurance to find out what your coverage is to make sure you’d be covered if a tree fell on your home, and remember, if a neighbor’s tree falls on your property, the damages become your responsibility.

Very few home insurance policies help with preventing tree damage. Steward said a home equity line of credit usually provides the best rate for tree removal projects.

PITTSBURGH — Justin Fields could sense his time in Chicago was up at his exit meeting in January.

While Bears general manager Ryan Poles didn’t outright tell Fields the organization was going to look for another quarterback after three uneven seasons with the talented but inconsistent Fields running the offense, Foles didn’t have to.

Fields could sense it in Poles’ body language.

So when Fields received a call while eating dinner in Italy in mid-March that he was heading to Pittsburgh, the initial reaction wasn’t shock, but relief quickly followed by optimism.

Even though the Steelers had just signed Russell Wilson and tabbed him as the starter. Even knowing there was almost no chance Pittsburgh would exercise Fields’ fifth-year option. Even facing uncertainty as to what happens beyond 2024.

Fields remembers watching a hype video while at Ohio State that featured Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. And then all of a sudden, there Fields was on Tuesday, listening to Tomlin give the Steelers — Fields included — a pep talk before the beginning of organized team activities.

“The culture that Coach T has and just the standard that the Steelers have set, this organization has set, I think that was the biggest appeal for me,” Fields said.

The 25-year-old Fields credited Poles for putting him in a situation where he wanted to be, even if that means his name isn’t atop the depth chart.

Asked if it bothered him that he wasn’t traded to a place where he could start right away, Fields shook his head and said he wasn’t “worried about who was here, none of that.”

The chance to play for Tomlin and be part of a franchise known for its stability (though that may be changing considering the roster turnover over the past four months), outweighed everything else.

“I’m grateful to be here and grateful to be a part of this team,” he said.

A team that completely revamped its offense after a first-round playoff loss to Buffalo. All three quarterbacks who started games for the Steelers last season — Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph — are gone. So is former offensive coordinator Matt Canada and leading wide receiver Diontae Johnson.

There is a sense of urgency within the organization with the team nearing eight years removed from its most recent postseason victory. Pittsburgh hired former Atlanta Falcons coach Arthur Smith to run the offense and drafted two potential cornerstones in tackle Troy Fautanu and center Zach Frazier.

Fields is eager to learn from Wilson and push him at the same time, while still firmly believing his best football is ahead of him.

“I think I have a lot more room to grow,” he said. “I’m nowhere near my ceiling for sure.”

He will get a chance to try and reach it without having the pressure — at least initially anyway — of being a franchise savior, as he was in Chicago. It’s telling that while Wilson did a formal news conference on Tuesday in front of a backdrop next to the practice field, Fields chatted at his locker, as backups do.

It’s a role he hasn’t been in for a while. He’s aware of and understands how things sit at the moment. Just don’t confuse maturity with complacency.

“I’m definitely competing,” he said. “I think Russ knows that. We’re competing against each other every day. Him being out there for me helps me get better. (We are) pushing each other so I mean I definitely don’t have the mindset of me just sitting all year.”

Perhaps because he won’t. The Steelers haven’t had a quarterback start every game during the season since 2018, though Wilson has proven pretty durable, missing only a handful of games during his 12-year career.

When he gets an opportunity is out of Fields’ control. For now, there is just a chance to start over. He endured a lot of “ups and downs” with Chicago, though he stressed he has “nothing but love for the city, for the fans and for my old teammates and coaches.”

Those feelings are already taking root in his town. Fields said he’s engaged in long conversations with Uber drivers during trips to the airport, and praised his new teammates for helping him feel welcome.

It didn’t work out as he wanted in Chicago. A new chapter awaits.

“I’m not the same quarterback as I was last year and I’m not even the same quarterback I even was yesterday,” he said. “So I’m going to continue to get better each and every day.”

NOTES: Steelers DE Cam Heyward did not attend the beginning of OTAs — which are voluntary — for the first time in his 14-year career. Heyward is entering the final season of his contract and is eyeing a new deal. Tomlin said he isn’t concerned about Heyward’s absence. … RB Najee Harris, whose fifth-year option was not picked up by the Steelers, did participate. Harris took the field about an hour late while dealing with what Tomlin called a “personal matter.” Harris, who has topped 1,000 yards rushing in each of his first three seasons, declined an interview request afterward.