Steelers Have Trade Price For Packers’ Matt LaFleur Revealed

The Pittsburgh Steelers are currently in the middle of one of the most important decision-making processes the organization has had since the 2007 offseason. Mike Tomlin will no longer be the coach of the team after 19 phenomenal campaigns, which means the hunt is on for the next long-term leader of one of the most stable franchises in all of sports. Ownership and the front office cannot afford to pick the wrong candidate, or it will send the fan base into a spiral. The expectation, because of the tradition in the Steel City, is that the next man up is the perfect person to do the job.

While the overwhelming expectation is that the Steelers will find someone via the interview process, rumors have swirled about a couple of different wild-card options. One of which was Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman, although it seems as if that theory has officially been debunked in recent days. There is one more fascinating possibility, and that is regarding what happens to Matt LaFleur if he and the Green Bay Packers do not agree on an extension.

It's hard to assess the situation because LaFleur is under contract for the 2026 campaign in Green Bay. If something can't be worked out, he could be traded. Pittsburgh has an abundance of draft capital and could make a splash move if Art Rooney II wants to. On Friday, Sports Illustrated insider Albert Breer was asked about LaFleur's value, and while he didn't mention the Steelers, he gave a pretty clear answer as to what it would cost anyone to land the Packers' coach.

"Could someone like Atlanta’s Matt Ryan or Miami’s Jon-Eric Sullivan, with their ties to LaFleur, call? Sure," Breer wrote. "And at that point, I’d think we’d be talking about maybe a top-60 pick, and something else (worth mentioning here, by the way, that the Falcons don’t have a first-rounder)."

The Steelers have plenty of expected draft capital and could absolutely accommodate a top-60 pick, as Breer noted. It's not out of the realm of possibility, especially if a first-round selection is not on the table.

On Thursday, The 33rd Team analyst Steve Palazzolo joined The PM Team w/Poni & Mueller. He was extremely high on the possibility of LaFleur becoming available and his belief on the asking price was in line with what Breer wrote on Friday.

"I don't know about a first [rounder] because I don't think his stock is that high," Palazzolo noted. "His stock's low. I don't think you'd have to give up a first. They're coming off of a disappointment. This isn't like a Sean Payton former Super Bowl [champion]."

Steelers fans may scoff at the idea of giving up a top draft pick for a coach, but it seems like the team may not have to if LaFleur became available. Asked if a second-rounder would make more sense to acquire LaFleur — in line with Breer's noted top-60 pick — Palazzolo was short and sweet with his response.

"Yeah, I would," said Palazzolo. 

It remains unlikely that this kind of situation ends up playing out perfectly for Pittsburgh, but crazier things have happened in the NFL. It also doesn't appear as if Green Bay and LaFleur have landed on common ground yet.

Steelers Would Be Acting Very Uncharacteristically If They Traded For LaFleur

Pittsburgh has always been a city of tradition. Hiring the next head coach via the interview process is something that is fully expected. It will get extremely interesting if the Packers and LaFleur can't work out a deal, however. Rooney and co. throwing their hats in the ring would be shocking, but that doesn't mean it's impossible, especially because of how the current NFL is operating.

Do you think that the Steelers would make a splash and trade a second-round selection for LaFleur? Let us know in the comments below!

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