The Pittsburgh Steelers' decision to make Aaron Rodgers their quarterback for the 2025 season wasn't the end of the roster-building; it was just the beginning. With a 41-year-old QB running the show, general manager Omar Khan and the front office are going to do everything in their power to improve the roster. The latest rumors suggest that it could come with a massive trade.
Over the past few weeks, before Rodgers officially inked his one-year contract, the Steelers have been linked in trade discussions. Pittsburgh reportedly called the Miami Dolphins to gauge their interest in trading tight end Jonnu Smith, while Ian Rapoport subtly mentioned that the Steelers have called the Atlanta Falcons to see what it would cost to land Kyle Pitts.
Now, the latest Steelers trade rumor just dropped a bombshell on fans that we did not expect: the Pittsburgh Steelers may be looking to add a star cornerback to their roster.
The account that goes by 'Rickey' on X dropped a rumor on Wednesday that the Steelers have inquired about both Jaire Alexander and Jalen Ramsey, and he expects Pittsburgh to land one of them. If this proves to be true, the Steelers aren't just interested in landing a player who can aid Rodgers and the passing attack; they are exploring every avenue to give them a shot to win now.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are rumored to be interested in in adding a high-profile cornerback
Let's start with Jaire Alexander, the often-injured cornerback was released by the Green Bay Packers after they failed to trade the two-time Pro Bowler. Alexander was still in the middle of a four-year $84 million extension he signed with the Packers during the 2022 offseason.
Alexander is a talented player, but his fit is questionable, as he primarily plays on the outside. With Joey Porter Jr. and Darius Slay as the projected starters, you would think the Steelers would be interested in a potentially more versatile defensive back. It's also worth noting that Alexander has missed 34 of the Packers' last 68 regular-season games (exactly half).
Jalen Ramsey is arguably more intriguing. The seven-time Pro Bowl cornerback and three-time First-Team All-Pro has had a legendary career and is coming off a healthy season. He proved to be an asset for the Dolphins last year as he graded out as a top-10 cornerback, per Pro Football Focus.
What makes this fit so interesting is that Ramsey played 185 snaps at slot cornerback last season while chipping in 80 snaps from the box and 33 on the defensive line, via PFF. He's proven to operate effectively as a big slot cornerback, and he's a tremendous run defender from the CB position. This could be exactly what the Steelers are looking for to pair with Porter Jr. and Slay on the outside.
Adding Ramsey wouldn't come without a cost. He signed a three-year, $72.3 million deal with the Miami Dolphins last offseason, and he has some lofty cap numbers ahead. Still, the Steelers can get this done from a financial standpoint. At this stage of his career, and considering his contract, Pittsburgh may be able to pull Ramsey away from the Dolphins for a fourth- or fifth-round pick.
After signing Darius Slay to a big one-year contract early in the offseason, I don't know if anyone would have suspected the Pittsburgh Steelers could be interested in adding a Pro Bowl cornerback at this stage of the offseason. Right now, this is just a rumor, but keep your eyes on this. The Steelers aren't done retooling their roster yet.