The Pittsburgh Steelers have a couple of quality tackles on their roster. Troy Fautanu put together a solid year at right tackle and should start there for the foreseeable future. Broderick Jones took some strides before he got hurt, and Dylan Cook played well in relief for him to close the season. But that doesn’t mean the position can’t be improved anyway. And there could be one opportunity to do so in Trent Williams, currently under contract with San Francisco.
On Monday, Ian Rapoport reported that the 49ers are allegedly open to moving Williams. Reacting to that news, PFF’s Dalton Wasserman thinks if a trade is in order, the Steelers could be a destination.
“You’re talking about a player who would improve any offense he goes to,” Wasserman said Monday on his PFF NFL Show. “Pittsburgh would make sense to me. He’d be a major upgrade there. I think there’s so many spots. Still, even at his age, one of the elite players in football. Still a top-5 tackle in all of football… I think you’re talking about a guy you move mountains for, right? I mean, he’s still one of the best players in football.”
Williams’ resume certainly speaks for itself. He’ll turn 38 next year, which is a scary age for any trade target. But it’s not like his level of play is dropping off. Williams has earned All-Pro honors in four of the last five seasons. That includes the 2025 season, in which he was named a second-team All-Pro. The only year of those five he didn’t earn those honors was 2024, when he played just 10 games.
Wasserman has been advocating for the Steelers to upgrade at tackle for a while. Earlier this offseason, he suggested the Steelers should draft the position early. And he’s not wrong that Williams would immediately upgrade left tackle, no matter how promising Jones or Cook may have looked at times last season.
But trading for him isn’t the easiest pill to swallow. His cap hit in 2026 is just shy of $40 million. He has battled over contract specifics with the 49ers before, but that number is large enough that San Francisco could move on from him this offseason. However, trading for any player at that age with that price tag carries risk.
While Williams would be an upgrade, it’s not a risk the Steelers have to take. They’ll hope Jones is ready for the 2026 season, and if there are any complications, they should feel comfortable with Cook as well. There’s also the option to draft a tackle, and the Steelers have 12 picks to work with this April. However, Trent Williams is an interesting name to consider, and Wasserman thinks he would work well in Pittsburgh.
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