The Pittsburgh Steelers are trying to get back to being true competitors in the NFL. The franchise is always pushing for a playoff spot, but everyone seems to know the team is no better than average. A big part of taking a step forward is going to be finding the organization's next franchise quarterback, which is hard to do as of now as the Steelers are never picking near the top of the draft. The Steelers are going to have to make a bold move to land a franchise quarterback at some point, and that could look like trading up in a draft or trading directly for talent.
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Steelers General Manager Omar Khan and Owner Art Rooney II discussing the Steelers.
Pittsburgh has been building up a ton of draft capital to potentially make a trade, and that was seen by the way the franchise shipped George Pickens off to the Dallas Cowboys. Pittsburgh also is projected to receive several picks through the league's compensatory pick formula, which are also tradable once they are issued. More tradable picks could be available to the Steelers as NFL insider Adam Schefter shared during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday, as a team will be pushing for the league to expand its pick pool.
"I'm going to tell you right now, there are going to be people in the NFL, this offseason, that push to have that limit grown to five years," Schefter said. "Right now it's three years in the NFL, and this has not been out there at all, so you can put this on your bottom line, there is going to be a push by at least one team out there this offseason to extend the NFL's trade limits from three to five years."
Essentially, this would just give each team in the league more draft capital to trade. Right now teams can only trade picks that are three years out, but there seems to be a team making a push to have that rule changed. Schefter did not say which team it was going to be that would push for this change, but it definitely could be the Steelers. The franchise needs a quarterback, and having more picks to trade would help the organization land a quarterback in the draft.
Steelers.com
Dan Rooney III, Art Rooney II, Head Coach Mike McCarthy, and Omar Khan after McCarthy singed his contract to become the next head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
A rule like this would have to be voted on by all 32 organizations, and it seems like a feasible rule that could eventually be passed. This would likely affect the value of some trades, and fans might see more picks involved in various deals.
This could help Pittsburgh in the future if the organization is still desperate for a quarterback. The rule would not take affect for a year or two, but it doesn't seem like the Steelers will have their quarterback situation figured out by then. If the team continues to be mediocre, the organization will eventually consider trading a boatload of picks to get higher up in a draft.
Steelers Don't Plan On Losing
The organization has made it clear that the expectations are still the same. The franchise wants to continue to win, although many fans would like to see a down year in an attempt to land a higher pick in a draft and grab a quarterback. A down year is not seemingly coming, and having more expendable picks will help the Steelers move up, because losing is not an option for the franchise.
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New Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy giving his introductory press conference alongside Team President Art Rooney II and General Manager Omar Khan.
It is not confirmed that the Steelers would support this rule change, but it is fair to think that they could be the team pushing for the change. With where the franchise is currently in the general landscape of the NFL, they would be an instant beneficiary.
What do you think about this potential rule change? Do you think it will help the Steelers? Let us know in the comments below!
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