The Pittsburgh Steelers might have come up empty on the trade market ahead of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. trade deadline, but according to Bleacher Report NFL Insider Jordan Schultz, it wasn’t for a lack of trying.
According to a report from Schultz, the Steelers made a “very strong push” to acquire Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylen Johnson before the Bears ultimately decided to hold onto the fourth-year veteran for the rest of the season.
Schultz reported earlier in the day that the Steelers were one of four teams showing real interest in the second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft who is allowing the lowest QB rating against when targeted this season.
Johnson requested a trade late Monday night — the Bears ultimately gave him approval to find a trade — after the two sides couldn’t come to terms on a contract extension. Schultz previously reported that Johnson was seeking $15 million a year in a new extension, which would make him a top-10 highest-paid NFL cornerback in yearly salary.
Chances are, the Steelers were never getting close to that number if they even talked to Johnson’s agent about asking price, and they certainly weren’t going to be in the market to move a second-round pick that the Bears were asking for in the trade.
What that “very strong push” looked like from the Steelers’ perspective, as Schultz is reporting, is unknown. It could have been a phone call or two to see where the Bears stood throughout the day, but as far as potentially making a move for a big-name guy and then turning around and extending him, that isn’t the way the Steelers operate, even if Khan is the new head man in charge after 22 years of Kevin Colbert.
For now, the Steelers move forward with the likes of Patrick Peterson, Levi Wallace, James Pierre, Chandon Sullivan and rookies Joey Porter Jr. and Darius Rush at the cornerback position. On paper and on the field, it remains an area of concern.
