The Pittsburgh Steelers enter the 2024 season with the goal of ending their playoff drought that has lasted since their loss to the New England Patriots in the 2016 AFC Championship. While they want to do that, they must find a solution at the quarterback position, and there’s a very real chance that neither Russell Wilson nor Justin Fields is the answer.
FS1’s Jason McIntyre wants the Steelers to do something radical to solve their franchise problems. McIntyre suggested the Steelers could trade TJ Watt for two first-round picks, which would help the team reinvest in the NFL Draft to get a quarterback.
“You don’t have a quarterback of the future. Neither quarterback is going to be signed after this year. That’s a radical idea, and sometimes you have to be radical; I think you have to put TJ Watt on the trade list,” McIntyre said. “And after your heads exploded in Pittsburgh … why are you trading TJ Watt? Because it’s not a defensive league. I gave you numbers yesterday. Every playoff game they’ve been in, they’ve just been crushed. They give up 30, 40 points. What’s the point of building around defense?”
The Steelers aren’t going to trade TJ Watt anytime soon. In many ways, the idea of trading Watt doesn’t make sense, especially given the moves the Steelers have made this offseason. This is a team in transition but wants to win. Why else would they even sign Wilson or Patrick Queen?
The Steelers want to win a playoff game this season. If that doesn’t happen, the team will have to make even bolder moves to get a quarterback who can lead them to wins in the playoffs. They haven’t found a solution since Ben Roethlisberger retired, and the urgency for the Steelers must increase as Watt continues to age.