**Would a Jalen Ramsey trade even make sense for the Steelers?**
Do the Steelers feel strong enough about Jalen Ramsey to actually trade for him, and all that that move implies? It’s not just about financial compensation to the player and draft capital to the partner team. It’s also about how the player fits within the roster, within the locker room, and within the lineup.
While the financials are workable, would the Steelers view a Jalen Ramsey trade as more than a one-year proposition? If so, then the proposal is suddenly much more expensive. He signed a three-year, $72 million extension in September. They would be on the hook for that if they wanted to keep him, including future non-signing bonuses.
If the Steelers would view a Jalen Ramsey trade as a one-year rental, there is still another issue. When and where does he play, and at whose expense? Obviously, you’re not trading him for depth, even with his age and injury history. He is still 30 years old, and he did play 17 games last year.
But Pittsburgh has Joey Porter Jr. and Darius Slay at cornerback, and presumably doesn’t want to bump either. Slay is 34 and near the end of his career, but they are paying him $10 million this year. Porter is the young stud they believe is their future lockdown cornerback. And they want him to prove it this year, which the Steelers trading for Ramsey would possibly impede.
I’m probably not breaking any news here, but Porter and Slay are not slot guys. Jalen Ramsey actually has some slot experience, with over 1,000 career snaps, but the Steelers won’t trade for him to play there. At least, I assume they wouldn’t—that would seemingly defeat the purpose.
The other argument is, you don’t worry about whose feelings you hurt if you’re making the team better. If the Steelers think Jalen Ramsey is better than Joey Porter or Darius Slay, and a trade makes sense, there is at least some layer of plausibility behind this.
While a report suggested Ramsey wants to play on the west coast, the Steelers also made a trade for DK Metcalf after a similar report surfaced—which he denied. Ramsey has spent his career in Jacksonville, Los Angeles, and Miami, so he certainly isn’t amply familiar with Pittsburgh weather. But football is football, and he does know how to play.
_The Steelers are rebuilding, or reloading, whatever they feel the need to call it, after another disappointment last season. Though they limped into the playoffs, they once again embarrassed themselves therein._
_Just like last year, the biggest question hanging over the Steelers is_ [_the quarterback question_](https://steelersdepot.com/2025/04/schrager-thinks-steelers-passing-on-qb-in-1st-round-means-theyre-all-in-on-aaron-rodgers/)_. While they ultimately traded George Pickens, they have other decisions to make. The_ [_2025 NFL Draft class_](https://www.steelers.com/draft/) _is now behind us, so most of the roster construction is complete._
_But we still have a long offseason ahead for Steelers football, or football in shorts. At least we can finally put the Aaron Rodgers situation to bed and move on to other things. Now it’s about evaluating the roster in place and filling holes as we go._