As we sit a week after the start of NFL Free agency, the Pittsburgh Steelers still search for a QB resolution.
While the team may have to roll with Mason Rudolph if they don't win the Aaron Rodgers sweepstakes, that's far from their goal.
So perhaps a trade saga ensues with a team the Steelers have a familiarity with...
Should the Steelers trade for Brock Purdy?
“Now if you’re the Pittsburgh Steelers, you’ve already traded for DK Metcalf, and gave him a big contract," said ESPN analyst and former NFL player Jason McCourty. "You need to have somebody to throw the ball to them. If you’re the Steelers, why not think about calling up the 49ers and John Lynch and saying ‘I don’t know where you guys are at right now. give us a shot at Brock Purdy.’ We’ll let him be able to distribute to all the weapons we have here in Pittsburgh.”
Here's the thing, this trade isn't as far-fetched as you might think. Purdy, by all estimations, is a promising starter in the NFL. From Mr. Irrelevant to a potential $50m+ annual contract earner, what he has done with the San Francisco 49ers is nothing short of impressive.
But his head coach, Kyle Shanahan, is known to be a quarterback guru. He probably thinks he can take any QB and turn them into a serviceable starter, and when you look at his run with players like Jimmy G and Purdy, he might not be wrong.
Add in the fact that the 49ers tend to drag their feet on negotiations, and just signed the QB they originally wanted in the 2021 NFL Draft class for pennies on the dollar, and you can see how this all comes together.
But what the Steelers would have to decide is if Purdy is worth what is likely a first-round pick and a contract north of a quarter of a billion dollars.
We know they will make a play for a veteran. It's why Aaron Rodgers is still their top priority.
But if they can receive a player nearly two decades younger than Rodgers and end all discussions about the future face of the franchise, it's hard to argue against the Steelers making a call to the 49ers.
Even if it could end up the same way it did last time Pittsburgh and San Francisco tried to orchestrate a deal for an offensive star.
