Trade details emerge in Steelers acquisition of Allen Robinson
The Pittsburgh Steelers made headlines earlier today when they traded for Pro Bowl wide receiver Allen Robinson, taking him off the Rams hands as they look to re-tool the roster. In the initial trade post for Robinson, I chose to be the voice of reason for the Steelers, with social media ready to set the […]
The Pittsburgh Steelers made headlines earlier today when they traded for Pro Bowl wide receiver Allen Robinson, taking him off the Rams hands as they look to re-tool the roster.
In the initial trade post for Robinson, I chose to be the voice of reason for the Steelers, with social media ready to set the team ablaze.
Well, now that we have the official terms of the deal, everyone can take that deep breath I recommended, as the Steelers have in fact made a great deal.
Ah yes, the Steelers only gave the day three pick I hypothesized and were able to negotiate the $15 million dollar guaranteed salary that Robinson is owed for the upcoming season.
A mere seventh-round pick swap is even less than I thought, and only paying $5 million for a proven commodity suddenly changes the entire narrative of this trade.
Instead of taking a victory lap though, I want to reiterate my main point in the news piece:
The Steelers' front office has earned the benefit of the doubt.
Pittsburgh now approaches the Draft deeper at a critical position, armed with the same amount of draft capital, and with a Pro Bowl talent still in the prime of his career on the roster.
In the worst-case scenario, Robinson never plays a snap for Pittsburgh, holding onto a roster spot that…
Oh yeah, a potential seventh-rounder would occupy.
Per Spotrac, Robinson will only carry a $5 million dollar cap hit in 2023, witt the Steelers having a potential out as soon as 2024.
Between the future of his contract, the player he has proven to be, and the draft capital exchanged, the Steelers just worked the perfect trade, in an all-upside, minimal-downside acquisition.
If this was the stock market, Pittsburgh would be investigated for insider trading after winning the way they just did.
And while some of you may think I'm just being a homer for the Steelers front office, I openly said that if they didn't gather insurances that Robinson would come at a cheaper cost than his guaranteed figure, it would have been the worst trade in franchise history.
But they did and so instead, it has the chance to be one of the better trades the organization has made.
There is a fine line between being aggressive and reckless when it comes to talent acquisition in the NFL.
Let's see if Omar Khan and company can continue to toe that line, with this regime gearing up for their first NFL draft in just nine days.
