Extension for Yankees Star Remains Unlikely
Despite being such a perfect fit together, it doesn't appear the New York Yankees and Jazz Chisholm Jr. will find common ground on an extension this offseason.
The New York Post's Greg Joyce stated that as Chisholm enters his final year of club control before reaching free agency following the 2026 campaign, the Yankees' general insistence on avoiding extensions will likely prevail over the coming months.
"Jazz Chisholm Jr. has made it no secret that he would like to remain in pinstripes beyond next season, his final year of team control," Joyce wrote. "And while Cashman did not shut the door on a potential contract extension — what good would that do? — it seems like a long shot to actually happen.
"In general, the Yankees’ policy has been to avoid extensions. There have been exceptions for players like Aaron Judge — though those discussions did not lead to a deal — and two other cases with Luis Severino and Aaron Hicks. Both of those backfired, which has only made the Yankees more reluctant to do extensions."
What Cashman Had to Say
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman revealed that he spoke to the star second baseman's agent, Brodie Van Wagenen, during the GM Meetings in Las Vegas earlier this week.
Cashman, however, said that the two sides have yet to broach the topic of a potential extension, but he didn't completely shut that idea down, at least not publicly.
“I guess that remains to be seen, but we have not had any conversations outside of he’s looking forward to playing next year, he loves playing here and if we’re open, if you want to have a legitimate conversation about value, open to a longer-term conversation as well,” Cashman said, per Joyce. “But that’s the extent of it.”
Chisholm's Yankees Future
Though there's been some light speculation that New York could consider trading Chisholm given his status as a rental, but doing so would make no sense if the organization plans on contending next season, which it most certainly does.
In his first full year with the Yankees after arriving in a trade deadline deal from the Miami Marlins in July 2024, Chisholm established himself as one of the best second basemen in the league.
He ended up tying for the most home runs (31) and third-most fWAR (4.4) among qualified players who primarily play the position. Additionally, Chisholm slashed .242/.332/.481 to go with 31 stolen bases, making him the third player in club history to turn in a 30-30 campaign.
Chisholm was a superb defender at second as well with two Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and eight Outs Above Average (OAA).
It's not like the Yankees have a ready-made replacement for Chisholm either, which would make trading him all the more puzzling. Could they go out and sign someone like Bo Bichette while moving him to second and keeping the duo of Anthony Volpe and José Caballero in place at shortstop? It's not impossible, but that's also not a likely scenario in the slightest.
Even if Chisholm and the Yankees don't come to terms on an extension, keeping him in the fold next year and then reevaluating things next offseason feels like the right course of action.
Steelers Make Final Call on Elevating Asante Samuel Jr. for Week 11 Matchup
The Pittsburgh Steelers elevated a defensive back from their practice squad for Week 11. But it wasn’t newly signed Asante Samuel Jr.
The Steelers announced Saturday they promoted defensive back D’Shawn Jamison and linebacker Mark Robinson for the matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. The pair will revert back to the practice squad after the game.
Jamison will be making his Steelers debut Sunday. If he plays a snap, it will be the first time the defensive back is on the field for an NFL regular season game since 2023.
Robinson will be dressing for his eighth game this season. He made his Steelers season debut in Week 10 versus the Los Angeles Chargers.
Samuel will have to wait at least another week to make his 2025 debut. The veteran cornerback officially joined Pittsburgh’s practice squad Tuesday.
Steelers Don’t Elevate Asante Samuel Jr. for Week 10
Pundits considered Samuel one of the top free agents for the 2025 class until he needed to undergo spinal fusion surgery in April.
The surgery corrected an issue he had been dealing with since his birth that was made worse after a collision during practice last year.
Samuel remained a free agent until the Steelers added him to their practice squad this past week. It’s not clear how much time he will need to be in football shape. Steelers Nation, though, hopes it’s not long.
Samuel played in his most recent NFL game on September 29 of last year.
In four seasons with the Chargers, Samuel posted 37 pass defenses and six interceptions. He also had 176 combined tackles, including three tackles for loss.
Steelers Promote D’Shawn Jamison, Mark Robinson
Jamison began his career as an 2023 undrafted free agent for the San Francisco 49ers. When he didn’t make the 49ers roster out of training camp, he then signed with the Carolina Panthers.
As a rookie, Jamison played in 15 games, starting one contest during 2023. He posted 10 combined tackles and one pass defense while playing 107 defensive snaps. Jamison also appeared on special teams for 155 snaps.
Last year, the Panthers released Jamison after the preseason. He joined the Steelers practice squad a few weeks later, where he remained for the rest of the year. The Steelers never promoted or activated him from the practice squad.
Jamison has also spent all of 2025 on Pittsburgh’s practice squad. Again, Sunday will be his first opportunity to play since with the Panthers in 2023.
The Steelers drafted Robinson at No. 225 overall in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Robinson came on strongly as a rookie and appeared to potentially be the solution at inside linebacker for the team.
But the Steelers signed Cole Holcomb in 2023 and then Patrick Queen during 2024. The team also drafted Payton Wilson last year.
In August, the Steelers released Robinson. The New England Patriots signed him to their practice squad. After appearing in three games, though, the New York Jets signed Robinson to their active roster off the New England practice squad.
The Jets waived Robinson after three contests, which led the linebacker back to Pittsburgh.
In seven games this season, Robinson has posted five combined tackles. He’s played 96 special teams snaps and four on defense.
Over his first three years with Pittsburgh, Robinson had 45 combined tackles, including one for loss, three forced fumbles and one sack in 38 games.
