One day after keeping the door open to trade for a quarterback, Pittsburgh Steelers Art Rooney II essentially shut the idea down. Speaking with WTAE’s Andrew Stockey, Rooney said the odds of trading for a quarterback were remote.
“The question that was asked was, would I consider anything like that as we sit here today,” Rooney told Stockey. “I said we don’t want to close the door on anything, but I’d still put it in the unlikely category. We like to look at any opportunity we think can make us better. That’s why I don’t close the door on anything. I don’t want to create a lot of speculation out there that we’re going out looking to make some big blockbuster trade at the quarterback spot. I put it in the unlikely category.”
Speaking with KDKA’s Bob Pompeani yesterday, Rooney said he wasn’t closing the door on “anything” when asked about the possibility of trading for a veteran. Today’s comments were much stronger in denying that option, tracking with what the team said prior to Rooney’s comments on Tuesday.
Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields is the most likely and notable name to be on the trade block this offseason, as the team holds the No. 1 overall pick with eyes on USC quarterback Caleb Williams. Reportedly, acquiring Fields would require a second or potentially first-round pick, and there’s been plenty of speculation linking Fields to the Steelers.
But the odds of that materializing are low. The team has called Kenny Pickett their starting quarterback and expressed a desire to re-sign Mason Rudolph, a pending free agent, with the hope of having both compete for the job in the summer. A splash trade like acquiring Fields would upend that scenario. The cost to trade for him, in addition to his status and looming fifth-year option decision, would make Fields the unquestioned starter, a road the Steelers don’t likely have any desire to go down.
Pittsburgh still needs to fill out its quarterback room, and it’s unclear how they intend to do so. Rudolph is no guarantee to return, and he should have a larger marker than he did last offseason. Even if he returns, the Steelers always carry four quarterbacks to training camp and will have to add at least two more arms, assuming they part ways with QB Mitch Trubisky ahead of his mid-March roster bonus. If Rudolph signs elsewhere, it’s plausible the team will hold onto Trubisky for the short term. The room is far from settled but the Steelers trading for a quarterback shouldn’t be the expectation.
