Before the 2025 NFL Draft, many speculated whether the Pittsburgh Steelers would take a quarterback in the first round. They elected not to, and didn’t address the position at all until Will Howard in the sixth round. However, it seems clear that the Steelers are targeting the 2026 draft as their best chance to land a franchise quarterback. To do that, though, they might have to trade up. Robert Mays of The Athletic speculated on Monday what that might cost.
“The Steelers as an example here, this year’s one [first-round pick], next year’s one, two of the thirds they’re going to have next year, and then a two in 2027 and you get a fourth back, that doesn’t feel like too much for me,” Mays said on The Athletic Football Show. “I think that’s the sort of haul, and the sort of package that would still be worth it. That’s not far off from what the Rams gave up to go get [Jared] Goff in 2016, and they were in the Super Bowl two years later… But I wouldn’t give up three first-round picks in all.”
Falling into the middle of the first round constantly is one of the reasons the Steelers haven’t been able to find an elite quarterback in the draft. It seems likely they’ll end up in a similar spot next year as well. Right now, there are too many questions on the roster to think the Steelers are true contenders. However, there’s enough proven talent that they likely won’t be picking in the top 10, either.
Trading up for a quarterback is one of the most expensive moves a football team can make. That’s evidenced by Mays’ proposal here, which he compares to the Los Angeles Rams trading up for Jared Goff in 2016. Back then, the Rams traded the eighth overall pick to the Tennessee Titans. The Titans’ full haul included two first-round picks (2016 and 2017), two second-round picks (both 2016), and two third-round picks (2016 and 2017). The Rams got the first overall pick, as well as one pick in the fourth and sixth rounds, all in 2016.
With that in mind, Mays’ idea is the same as the trade the Rams made for Goff. Granted, Mays’ proposal involves one less second-round pick the Steelers would have to trade. It sounds like a lot, because it is. However, that’s the going rate for top quarterback prospects. It’s something the Steelers are going to have to sacrifice next offseason.
With that said, a move like that does pay off at times. The Buffalo Bills traded up a few spots in 2018 to grab Josh Allen. The year before that, the Kansas City Chiefs moved up a significant amount to draft Patrick Mahomes. Neither of those two teams cares about the picks they had to sacrifice to make those moves.
However, things certainly can backfire. In 2023, the Carolina Panthers traded two first-round picks, as well as a second and third-round pick, to the Chicago Bears to draft Bryce Young first overall. In 2021, the Bears sent two first-round picks, a fourth-round pick, and a fifth-round pick to the New York Giants to draft Justin Fields. Each of those two has had some success in their young careers. Yet, neither of those trades looks great in hindsight.
Such is life in the NFL, where quarterback is the most important position. The Steelers have learned the hard way that you can’t win anything significant without one. Thus, it costs a ton of draft capital to move up for one. The Steelers might not be the only team trying to do so, either. But that’s the gamble the Steelers have to take in the 2026 draft. Compared to their recent lackluster 10-7 seasons, though, that gamble might be a welcome one.
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