The Pittsburgh Steelers brought back wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and most fans already know about it. But let’s be honest, that signing isn’t going to move the needle in the Steelers’ wide receiver room. That’s especially true given recent reports that current IR designee Michael Pittman Jr. might miss the rest of the 2026 season, per Mark Kaboly of the Pat McAfee Show.

In my opinion, Valdes-Scantling isn’t the answer. So I headed to the A to Z Sports trade simulator to build a trade that brings Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston to Pittsburgh, and the price tag is a lot lower than you might expect.

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Why the Chargers make sense as a trade partner

The first step was finding a trade partner, and the Chargers jumped off the page. Los Angeles has been one of the biggest disappointments of the 2026 season, and quite frankly one of the biggest surprises, too. The Chargers look completely defeated.

Because of that, I’d expect them to be sellers at the trade deadline, and Johnston could be a name on his way out.

Johnston is a former first-round pick, and he’s only 25 years old. He brings a vertical element to an offense that the Steelers simply don’t have. That’s probably why Pittsburgh signed MVS in the first place.

So the immediate question becomes what the Steelers would need to give up to make it happen.

Breaking down the Steelers’ trade for Quentin Johnston

On the simulator, I started on the Steelers’ page and pulled up their draft picks. The goal here was to trade picks, not players. The simulator lists the team’s draft capital on the left and the point value for each pick on the right.

Over on the Chargers’ side, Johnston carries a value of about 192 points. Back on the Steelers’ page, their 2027 fifth-round pick via the Dallas Cowboys comes in at about 191 points. That’s about as close a match as you’ll find.

Once all the parameters were met, the simulator graded it as a fair trade for both sides, with Pittsburgh edging Los Angeles by just one point.

Why this deal works for both sides

For the Chargers, this is a chance to get a pick back for a player who hasn’t lived up to the hype. Johnston needs a change of scenery, and a rebuilding Los Angeles team doesn’t have much reason to hold onto him.

For the Steelers, the upside is obvious. Pittsburgh gets a vertical stretch element that it is desperately going to miss if Roman Wilson continues to stay on IR. Without Pittman in the lineup, the depth chart gets thin in a hurry, and I don’t believe Valdes-Scantling has it anymore at 31 years old.

Giving up a fifth-round pick for a 25-year-old receiver with first-round pedigree is the type of low-risk swing the Steelers should be willing to take. If Johnston finally puts it together in a new building, Pittsburgh wins the deal by a lot more than one point.

All in all, this comes out as a great trade for the Steelers. If you don’t like this one, or if you want to take a crack at it yourself, you can build your own trade.