The Pittsburgh Steelers have yet to answer the question surrounding their starting quarterback next season. With veterans flying off the market, except for Aaron Rodgers, the pool of options is getting smaller by the day. The Steelers made big moves this offseason to get DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks to bolster their offense.
A former Super Bowl champion and former Pro Bowler are on different wavelengths on whether the Steelers should consider swinging for the fences and acquire Brock Purdy in a franchise-altering trade.
Does Trading for Brock Purdy Make Sense for Pittsburgh?
Super Bowl champion Chris Canty believes the Steelers are in a position to get their QB of the future by dangling one of their stars on the market. Purdy is a proven NFL quarterback who has a Super Bowl appearance under his belt. The rumors surrounding T.J. Watt’s situation with one year left on his deal are running high, and Canty thinks the Steelers can take advantage of this.
“Using T.J. Watt as a way of being able to pry Brock Purdy away from San Francisco. [The] 49ers gutted that defense, being able to add some help for Fred Warner and Nick Bosa. T.J. Watt now in that group, Rob Saleh now back there as the defensive coordinator,” Canty said on a potential trade involving Purdy and Watt.
This trade would be a complete blockbuster. The Steelers would have another offensive piece that they would have to extend while sending away a vital piece of their defense. Watt has been one of the best defensive players in the NFL during his career, and this would be a huge loss. The question remains whether it would be worth the acquisition of Purdy as their QB problems would no longer exist for the foreseeable future.
Former Pro Bowler Damien Woody doesn’t think the 49ers should entertain the deal.
“He’s a guy that you can win a championship with in this league. There’s no question about it. Do those guys grow on trees? I’m just asking, do those types of quarterbacks grow on trees? They do not. Why in the world would the San Francisco 49ers, who by the way has been unloading guys off their roster because they know they have to pay the quarterback, why would you make that trade? It makes absolutely no sense,” said Woody.
Woody was fired up talking about why the 49ers should not do this trade under any circumstance. He went on to call Purdy a top-10 quarterback in the NFL. The 49ers have been reshaping their roster to free up money to be able to extend Purdy with the money he deserves, which makes trading him an interesting choice.
Canty and Woody have a similar underlying stance in that the Steelers could use Purdy, but their disagreement lies heavily in the 49ers camp. Canty sees great value for the 49ers in swapping Purdy for Watt, as it would pair two of the best pass rushers in the NFL onto one team. But Woody sees Purdy as way more valuable than just acquiring Watt; in fact, he sees him as untouchable.
Purdy to the Steelers in exchange for Watt would be the story of the offseason. In an offseason that saw Metcalf to Pittsburgh, Deebo Samuel Sr. and Laremy Tunsil to Washington, a trade like this would certainly be the biggest. No matter what happens, though, the Steelers need to find a solution at quarterback before their options dry up and, as a result, put them in a tough position to succeed.