There's a time to take risks in the NFL and a time to play it safe. Despite Mike Tomlin's cliche statements, the Pittsburgh Steelers 'live in their fears' and don't take risks often enough. This team has been in desperate need of a spark for years and hasn't been able to find it.
The biggest problem is trying to compete in a star-powered quarterback conference in the AFC without a franchise signal-caller. Since Ben Roethlisberger, every effort to fill the void proved to be nothing more than an underwhelming stop-gap option.
While the Steelers need to get aggressive if they want to land a quarterback, the latest trade proposal takes things too far—almost to a laughable level.
On January 16, Colin Cowherd spoke on his podcast The Herd on Fox Sports. The sports radio hosts suggested the Steelers should trade T.J. Watt George Pickens, and two first-round picks to move up and take Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 NFL Draft.
"I would trade T.J. Watt, George Pickens, two first rounders and go get Shedeur Sanders if you think he's a starting QB."
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) January 16, 2025
— @ColinCowherd pic.twitter.com/J8y2bU1lWz
"I would trade T.J. Watt, George Pickens, two first-round picks if your scouting department said Shedeur Sanders is the guy," Cowherd said. "Because I think Cam Ward is gonna go number one, Shedeur Sanders I think you could get at number five, six, or seven."
This statement alone was enough for fans to ridicule Cowherd for his trade proposal. With the rest of his argument, Cowherd didn't sell fans on the idea of this mock trade.
"But the Steelers, what's interesting is they're in the same predicament as they were in 2022—where they need a quarterback and it's a lousy quarterback class," Cowherd explained.
Cowherd reiterated that he would offer Watt, Pickens, and a pair of first-rounders if the Steelers think Sanders is a starting quarterback. While nobody is denying the importance of the quarterback position in football, the price tag is too steep to land a respectable QB prospect in a bad draft class.
Steelers could trade up for a quarterback... but not at that price
I'm not opposed to trading up for a quarterback. In fact, I've said for years that if the Steelers want to be able to land a franchise signal-caller, they need to be willing to package picks and move up in the draft. Where they routinely select in the NFL Draft is never high enough to get one of the top QB prospects.
However, Cowherd's suggested price tag is too outrageous to pull the trigger. It's one thing to trade multiple first-round picks to move up in the draft; it's another thing entirely to include the best player on your team and your top wide receiver with these picks to move up in the draft.
Sanders could end up being an excellent quarterback in the NFL, but he isn't a perfect prospect. At 6'2'' and 215 pounds, Sanders has just average size and a starting-level NFL arm. He checks the boxes with his tools but doesn't go above and beyond. At Colorado, Sanders frequently played against poor Big 12 defenses while having the best receiver in the country, Travis Hunter, at his disposal.
If you think Sanders is a bonafide franchise quarterback, that's one thing. But if you're just looking for a starting-level QB, the Steelers wouldn't dream of giving up this much capital.