General Manager Omar Khan and the Pittsburgh Steelers were busier than normal during the first week of free agency. Not only did they sign free agents and retain some of their own, but they made three trades over the span of five days. The first was shipping WR Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers for a day three pick swap and CB Donte Jackson. Then they traded away QB Kenny Pickett for a pick swap and some future seventh-round picks before turning around the next day and trading for QB Justin Fields for a future conditional pick.
NFL.com’s Kevin Patra posted an article on Monday afternoon grading all the trades that have occurred since the start of the new league year. They received high marks for the Fields deal, but the other two trades dragged down the GPA quite a bit. Let’s start with the good.
Justin Fields: A+
This one is pretty obvious. The Steelers acquired Fields, who was the 11th overall draft pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, for basically nothing. Not only was it a conditional sixth-round pick, but the pick isn’t until the 2025 draft. This filled an immediate need for the team at backup quarterback, and there is an upside for it to be much more than that. Here is some of what Patra wrote:
“Fields has flaws but remains a dynamic player who has shown signs of growth in each of his three seasons. He’s the type of talent that deserves second and third chances. Some aspects of his move to Pittsburgh remind me of when Ryan Tannehill exited Miami for Tennessee to originally “back up” Marcus Mariota. It didn’t take long for Tannehill to flip that script, enjoy Comeback Player of the Year honors, and help Tennessee win multiple division crowns. Fields offers that sort of upside.”
If Fields ever becomes Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback, especially if that becomes a long-term option, this trade is about as lopsided as it gets in favor of the Steelers. Even if he doesn’t, it is just a sixth-round pick in 2025. That is good business by Khan.
Diontae Johnson: D+
The Steelers acquired Jackson, who they have apparently had interest in for quite some time. He also agreed to a contract restructure, so they ended up saving a little additional cap space and moved up 62 picks from the seventh round back into the sixth round.
Still, they gave up one of the best route runners in the league, and while they filled one hole on the roster, they created another. The 2024 NFL Draft has plenty of talent at both positions, but more so at the receiver position. The logic very well could have been that there is a virtual certainty that they get a WR they like in the first two days of the draft.
Here is some of what Patra wrote:
“The deal is a bit harder to explain for Pittsburgh. Acquiring Jackson, a solid corner with inside-outside flexibility on the final year of his contract, helps fill a gap at DB. However, corner remains a need heading into the draft, and now the club has created a big hole at receiver alongside George Pickens.”
The Steelers have no quarterbacks currently under contract beyond 2024, so they have to ace the WR pick in the draft, or this trade will not be remembered in a good light in hindsight.
Kenny Pickett: C-
Anytime you part ways with a former first-round draft pick after just two seasons, something went horribly wrong. Especially when the return is just moving up 22 spots from the fourth round back into the 3rd round and acquiring two future seventh-round picks. To be fair, it is almost necessary to view the Fields and Pickett trade in tandem with each other since Fields probably wouldn’t have been traded for if Pickett was still around. With as many holes to fill as the Steelers have, the extra third-round pick will come in handy as there will still be plenty of players that can be early contributors in that range.
Here is what Patra had to say:
“As good as the trade for Fields was for Pittsburgh, the Pickett dump was nearly as bad. It received little return — a pick swap and two future seventh-round picks — for the former No. 20 overall draft pick, who was still on the cheap portion of his contract. And yet, based on reports of Pickett’s negative reaction to the signing of Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh appears justified in washing its hands of the situation. The former Pitt Panther never raised his game or team in two seasons.”
The Pickett move will be harder to grade until a little later in his career. For now, he will be the backup to Jalen Hurts, but if he eventually becomes a starter somewhere, then it will not look like a great trade for the Steelers in hindsight. Fields and Pickett will now be constantly compared to each other throughout the rest of their careers if and when they get the opportunity to start again.
In total, that is a GPA of 2.43 in these trades from Patra. That wouldn’t get you into most four-year universities, but these are just instant reactions to the trades, and much of the story is yet to be written. Fields could become the long-term starter and make this a home run of an offseason, or Pickett could go on to become a solid starter someday and have us all pulling out our hairs in frustration. There is also the added element of the draft compensation, which could be used as ammunition to trade up to acquire an excellent player. It will be interesting to reflect back on these moves in a few years from now.
