The Pittsburgh Steelers saw the NFL trade deadline come and go at 4:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday and did not make a move. Despite the possibility of adding a wide receiver with Roman Wilson and Michael Pittman Jr. being out for several weeks prior to the deadline, General Manager Omar Khan did not make a move. The team was rumored to be interested in Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. and former offensive coordinator Todd Haley believes they missed out. While Jacksonville did not end up moving him, the former Pittsburgh coordinator felt they had leverage to acquire the young pass catcher.
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Steelers General Manager Omar Khan speaks to the media during a press conference in Pittsburgh.
Despite a 6-2 record, many felt that the franchise would still look to add reinforcements as they come off their bye week and the schedule strengthens for them in 2026. Now they will hope to get their pass catchers back who have been out and hope that reinforcements come along internally. There was one aspect to a deal with Jacksonville that could have swayed their opinion on moving Thomas.
On Tuesday, Haley appeared on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh as he does each week. He was asked about the team as the deadline came and went with the franchise not making a move. He felt that leverage opened up due to recent trades the Jaguars made.
“I thought that was the leverage right there,” Haley said. “I would have been calling saying ‘Hey, you’re now missing a second-round pick, a fourth-round pick, whatever they are. We’ll give you some of that back for a guy that you’re using as a Darius Heyward-Bey type role.’ When we had Heyward-Bey, that’s what he was doing. He goes out there and runs as fast as he can and knows he’s not getting the ball.”
Thomas was linked to Pittsburgh several times as the trade deadline approached, but nothing ever came to fruition as far as getting a deal done despite his limited usage so far this season. Much of that comes due to the emergence of Parker Washington, as well as the play of Jakobi Meyers at wide receiver. The Jaguars made a couple of trades to help on defense, which is where Haley believed the opening came from for Khan to have a strong stance negotiating.
Head Coach Mike McCarthy has done a great job of navigating through injuries before the team had their bye week, as they come off of it riding a four-game winning streak. Running back Jaylen Warren has also had a tremendous season, allowing them to lean on his play to help lead them on the offensive side of the ball. Despite that, many feel that the front office left much to be desired when the clock hit 4:00 p.m.
Steelers Still Have A Massive Opportunity In Front Of Them For Success In 2026
McCarthy's group has some big tests coming up in the second half of their season, which goes far beyond their Sunday Night Football matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals this week. They will face Jacksonville on the road in December as well as the Denver Broncos at home. Games against those two playoff teams will be extremely important measuring-stick games to really test the 2026 group and see exactly where they stand.
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Pittsburgh Steelers’ Mike McCarthy looks on after a game at Acrisure Stadium in 2026.
It is very possible that Khan and assistant general manager Andy Weidl have full faith in the team that they have built for this season. If that is the case, they will have to see Wilson and Pittman not only return, but become productive parts of their offense down the stretch in this 2026 NFL season. McCarthy's group did a great job of taking care of business to get to 6-2 and can put themselves in the driver's seat in the division with a win this week over Cincinnati to earn a season sweep. However, if they were to stumble as the schedule gets tougher, Khan could be questioned for not playing to this leverage he had.
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