Another day, another insanely hot take from Colin Cowherd.
It is no secret that the Pittsburgh Steelers have been struggling to find a viable solution under center since Ben Roethlisberger retired. Kenny Pickett, now a back-up on the Philadelphia Eagles, didn't work out. Thirty-five-year-old veteran Russell Wilson started strong, ended with a thud, and was unlikely to stick around long-term. Justin Fields could be a fit, but, as Dan Orlovsky pointed out, the team doesn't really have enough data there to know if they'll have a winner for next season.
Cowherd, ever the pragmatist, thinks the time has come for Pittsburgh to take a pretty big swing at its quarterback problem, rather than putting a band-aid on it. That in and of itself isn't a wild suggestion; that's been the consensus among other pundits, as well. But it's what he suggests as the aforementioned big swing that will have Steelers' fans jaws on the floor.
After addressing suggestions that the Steelers go after Aaron Rodgers as another short-term solution, Cowherd pushes all his chips to the center of the table.
"I would trade T.J. Watt, George Pickens, [and] two first-round picks if your scouting department said Shedeur Sanders is the guy," Cowherd suggests. "I think [Miami quarterback] Cam Ward's gonna go No. 1, I think Shedeur Sanders you could get at No. 5, 6, or 7."
"I would trade T.J. Watt, George Pickens, two first rounders and go get Shedeur Sanders if you think he's a starting QB."
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) January 16, 2025
— @ColinCowherd pic.twitter.com/J8y2bU1lWz
Yes, you heard that correctly. Trade T.J. Watt, the best weapon the Steelers have on defense, and two first-round picks to fix the quarterback room with a guy Cowherd doesn't even think will go No. 1.
Pickens is also a hefty price to pay, but the receiver could be gone soon anyway depending on what the front office wants to do with a potential extension. Packaged alongside Watt, however, you're starting to think this is a lopsided deal.
While Sanders is certainly a top prospect, the 2025 QB class has failed to generate the same amount of buzz as 2024, when Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye went first, second, and third overall, respectively. The Steelers do need to make some drastic changes, but given the quarterback pool they're working with, it might not be worth it right now.
It's also worth remembering that Cowherd had a similar take last year, when he said Pittsburgh should trade Watt, Pickens, and three first-round picks so they could take Williams (who ended up with the Chicago Bears).
Shedeur will definitely be drafted early, and the Steelers could very well rue the day they decided to ignore Cowherd's advice. But while you always run the risk of regretting the one that got away, it feels a little wild to suggest throwing that much talent and draft capital to turn your question mark at quarterback into... a slightly more confident question mark at quarterback.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Colin Cowherd Proposes Steelers Make Preposterous Trade for Shedeur Sanders .
