How Pittsburgh could build a brighter future at the expense of the present…
First off, let me make clear that this is not an article about what the Steelers should do, but rather it’s an article about how they could go about setting themselves up for future success by punting on being contenders this year. It’s not going to be pretty, but you can’t make an omelet without ripping off the band-aid…or something like that. Open your mind and possibly plan a trip to Santa Clara for February of 2026 to watch the Black and Gold hoist another Lombardi Trophy, but first, shield your eyes and hold your nose for the next few paragraphs.
First and foremost, the 2024 rebuild version of the Steelers should look to get maximum value out of aging veterans via trades. The key to doing this is identifying a team that has gone all-in for 2024 and taking advantage of their urgency and desperation. A team like this is more likely to overpay for things they need. That’s the kind of partner to do transactions with. Hello, Atlanta Falcons! Does anything scream more “all-in” than signing a soon-to-be 36-year-old quarterback to a contract that pays him $100 million guaranteed? Yes, one thing does scream it louder— if that old quarterback had his Achilles tendon explode and he hasn’t thrown a pass since! That was one strong bet by Atlanta on Kirk Cousins, to say the least.
A trade for the “rebuilding Steelers” to consider
So having identified the mark in this “Khan” game, it’s time for Omar Khan to exploit their impatience and take advantage of them while helping to fill their needs. Take a deep breath in, slowly breathe out, repeat. Pro Football Network lists the Falcons’ top needs as edge, cornerback, wide receiver, defensive tackle, and safety. As it so happens, the Steelers have the best edge in the league with T.J. Watt and a veteran defensive tackle in Cam Heyward, each with a long list of accolades to their credit. The Steelers also have a nice candidate to potentially be their future at edge in Nick Herbig, which makes the gag reflex that one gets at the thought of trading Watt only slightly less severe.
Edge is a position of strength for the Steelers relative to the rest of the league. Trading from your strengths should always be an option. Watt has made the last six Pro Bowls, leading the league in sacks three times, and has received four All-Pro awards in that span. Defensive tackle Cam Heyward has made six of the last seven Pro Bowls, hitting double-digit sacks three times, and has three All-Pro awards during that stretch. In sharp contrast, the Falcons haven’t had a single player with double-digit sacks since 2016. They are linked to the top edge rushers in the first round of virtually every mock draft. Acquiring a sure thing makes more sense than waiting on the potential of a rookie, given the age of their quarterback.
While it may seem like sacrilege to trade away two Steeler icons, the Steelers actually admitting to a rebuild sounds more blasphemous in its own right. At first glance, it’s hard to imagine either player being okay with a trade. But if Art Rooney, Omar Khan, and Mike Tomlin sit down in a room with them and explain that a massive retooling of the roster is underway, they may see a trade to Atlanta as their best chance at seeing a Super Bowl before they retire.
As part of this hypothetical impending renovation in Pittsburgh, their best shot would likely be at least two Super Bowls away without this trade to kickstart the process. Heyward will be 35 when the 2024 season starts. Lining up next to Grady Jarrett in Atlanta might be the best path for him to ride out on top. Watt, who relies on a speed rush to be dominant, will be 30. He’s unlikely to be the same level of player at 32 as it won’t be long before his effectiveness wanes.
A trade package for T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward
So what would the Steelers get for selling their soul to Atlanta? A package of Atlanta’s first-round and third-round picks (Nos. 8 and 74) this year plus their first-round pick in 2025 sounds like a solid base, asking for Atlanta’s 2025 second-round pick as well. For reference, Miami sent a first, a fourth, and backup running back Chase Edmonds to Denver for 26-year-old edge rusher Bradley Chubb and a future fifth-round pick at the trade deadline in 2022. Chubb had 26 sacks in his entire career at the time of the trade while Watt had 19 in 2023 alone and averages 14 per year.
In 2018, the Bears sent the Raiders two firsts plus a future second in a package that brought them a 27-year-old Khalil Mack. Mack had averaged 10 sacks over four years and, like Chubb, was in the final year of his contract. Even though he is older, Watt is better than Chubb and Mack at the time of their trades and comes with two years of contract left. It would be worth it for Atlanta to give up two firsts and a future second to get him in their quest to win it all over the two years of his current contract. Their sense of urgency adds the third-round pick for a one-year rental on Heyward. Importantly from an Atlanta standpoint, this trade would leave them with Nos. 43 and 74 which line up nicely with this year’s draft class to still address their needs at cornerback and wide receiver.
By acquiring Watt and Heyward in this hypothetical, Atlanta is more willing to send those future picks as they think they are a legit Super Bowl contender and expect those future picks to be of lower value near the very end of each round. The Steelers end up with enough pick ammo (Nos. 8, 20, 51, 74, 84, 98, 119, 178, 195) in this year’s draft to move around the draft board at will, as well as potentially two picks in each of the first two rounds next year in case they need to target a top quarterback.
How the Steelers could use newfound cap space and picks from a rebuild trade
The Steelers would also clear $37 million off of this year’s cap and Watt’s $21 million off of 2025’s cap. The Falcons would have to do all kinds of salary cap gymnastics to make their new marquee defensive players fit, but that’s what “all-in” teams do. What good is cap space to the Steelers at this point of free agency? It would allow the Steelers to restructure contracts forward (namely Alex Highsmith and Minkah Fitzpatrick) and move the cap hits of 2025 into 2024, freeing up more cap space for next year. Spotrac shows the Steelers are $75 million under the projected 2025 salary cap. This trade coupled with the suggested forward restructures could give them $120 million of cap space heading into 2025. With no quarterback under contract for next year, that $120 million opens all kinds of trade and free-agent signing possibilities.
Should Herbig stumble as a starter at edge, there would be space to sign a top talent there also. The added cap space would also allow them to easily extend now any players they want around for another contract (possibilities include Pat Freiermuth, James Daniels, and Najee Harris). Extra cap space could also be used to take on bigger contracts at the trade deadline if anyone is having a fire sale. Chicago did this last year when they traded a second-round pick to Washington for Montez Sweat. Having plenty of cap space, they immediately signed Sweat to a massive four-year, $98 million extension.
What does a rebuilding team do with all of those draft picks? It targets true difference makers high in the draft (like the Texans moving up to draft Will Anderson last year). Holding No. 8 this year very well could give the Steelers their choice of the first cornerback or the first tackle. Either is a nice way to kick off a rebuild as those positions typically have more longevity than offensive skill positions. Using No. 20 and one of their three third-round picks could likely land a special talent at a position (defensive tackle?) that they didn’t select at No. 8. If a rebuilding team can’t land those big stars, it works deals to trade down and add more picks.
After all, the Los Angeles Rams would draft 14 players in 2023, but only six of the picks were originally theirs. They “wheeled and dealed” to add eight extra picks. After a 5-12 season in 2022, they were back in the playoffs thanks in large part to the quantity of rookies that panned out for them. To be a true contender a team needs a good mix of stars and depth. If you can’t get the stars you want, get as much quality depth as possible. It’s not sexy, but gaining a few extra fifth-round picks now can go a long way to filling out a roster later. The Rams had four picks in the fifth round. All four of them made the roster. In fact, all 14 of the Ram draft picks made their final 53-man roster and all of them played in regular season games except one.
So that’s what a full-blown rebuild could look like. It’s not the worst thing in the world (It didn’t involve re-hiring Matt Canada) as it creates a need for a depth edge rusher plus an immediate starter at defensive tackle which was going to be needed by 2025 anyway as Heyward’s contract expires at the end of this season. This rebuild roadmap provides more than enough draft capital to address both. It sets the Steelers up to be true movers and shakers in the next two drafts as well as next year’s free agency season. It was stated earlier that rebuild isn’t what the Steelers should do, but the one thing worse than a rebuild like this would be simply delaying by one season a rebuild just like this.
Currently, the aging veteran players line up with the needs of one of the “all-in” franchises. Waiting a year lowers the trade value of Watt and eliminates that of Heyward entirely. The time to capitalize on the situation may very well be right now. A trade like this does right by two icons, even if not one fan likes the move.