Steelers Now Have Perfect Trade Partner After Unfortunate Injury In Las Vegas

With the preseason winding down and NFL teams finalizing roster cuts, depth charts, and last-minute trades, the Pittsburgh Steelers could find themselves holding a key asset for a team in need. As franchises around the league scramble to address injuries or positional weaknesses, one AFC West team in particular may be searching for help at the quarterback position. The Steelers enter the final stretch of preparation for the regular season with four quarterbacks in the fold, one of whom could potentially be part of a trade package very soon. 

Skylar Thompson is coming off a solid preseason campaign. Thompson completed 41 of 56 pass attempts for 498 yards and four touchdowns, helping lead the Steelers to wins over the Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers. 

It's hard to see a situation where Thompson makes the 53-man roster, with Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, and Will Howard likely taking up the three quarterback spots. Thompson could stay with the black and gold as part of the practice squad, but with teams around the league looking for quarterback depth, he could become part of a potential trade package with one team in particular: the Las Vegas Raiders. 

The Raiders traded for Geno Smith in the offseason, reuniting him with his former Head Coach, Pete Carroll. With Smith being the shoe-in starter, Aidan O'Connell and Cam Miller were battling for the backup role during the preseason. In Vegas' final preseason game on Saturday, O'Connell fractured his wrist and is now expected to miss 6-8 weeks. 

O'Connell has made 17 starts over two seasons for the Raiders, including one against the Steelers in 2024. Although O'Connell wasn't planning on being the starter in 2025, Carroll told the media following Saturday's game that the injury puts Las Vegas in a bind. 

"He fractured his wrist -- he's hurt and it's going to be a while," Carroll said. "That's a big blow for us."

With the Raiders only having two quarterbacks now on their roster, they almost have no choice but to make some phone calls in an attempt to bring one in. With the Steelers having one more quarterback than they need, don't be surprised if Omar Khan makes something happen. 

The Steelers have three options for Thompson if they don't see him as one of their top three quarterbacks. They can cut him, sign him to the practice squad, or trade him. In this instance, it would make the most sense to trade him to Las Vegas. 

So what could the Steelers potentially receive in exchange for Thompson? If the Steelers and Raiders indeed do business, it is likely that only late-round picks will be involved. 

Sure, there might be some players that are currently on the Raiders' roster that might intrigue some interested for the Steelers, but it is unlikely that the Raiders would be willing to let go of a valuable player in exchange for a backup or even third-string quarterback. Las Vegas might be desperate to add a quarterback to their roster, and Khan does have a history of exceeding trade value, but don't expect the Steelers to receive anything higher than a 5th or 6th round pick. 

Steelers Have Been In This Same Situation Before

On the flip side of things, the Steelers have been in a similar position before, and it almost came back to bite them. Back in 2019, the Steelers entered the regular season with an extra quarterback. Then General Manager, Kevin Colbert, traded Joshua Dobbs to Jacksonville in exchange for a 5th-round pick. 

A week later, Ben Roethlisberger suffered a season-ending elbow injury. Dobbs no longer being on the roster gave Steelers fans 16 games of Rudolph and Devlin Hodges. In a disastrous event where the Steelers face multiple injuries in the quarterback room, having Thompson might be beneficial, but in this instance, a trade might be worth the risk in an attempt to receive some draft picks in return. 

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