The Indianapolis Colts are tearing it down. Indianapolis has already traded guard Quenton Nelson and said goodbye to defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. Now up-and-coming wide receiver Josh Downs has officially requested a trade, and one AFC team is already snooping around: the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The request didn’t come out of nowhere. Downs gave a pretty clear signal of where his head was at before the news broke.

Josh Downs’ trade request followed a damning quote

The trade request came just minutes after a media appearance from Downs. Kevin Bowen shared the moment in a post. Downs was asked whether he wanted a contract extension with the Colts before the season began, and his answer said plenty.

“If it came my way, it came my way, but eh,” Downs said.

In other words, not really. That is about as damning a quote as a wide receiver, or any player for that matter, can give about whether he wants to be with a franchise. You don’t shrug off an extension question unless you’ve already got one foot out the door.

So it makes a lot of sense that the trade request landed just minutes after that media session. The timing tells you everything about how Downs views his future in Indianapolis.

Steelers among the teams doing their homework

Downs won’t be short on suitors. NFL insider Jordan Schultz posted that Pittsburgh is among the teams that have already checked in:

“Colts wide receiver Josh Downs has received interest from multiple AFC teams, including the Steelers. And while a deal is not considered likely this week, the expectation is a trade will eventually happen.”

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We know the Steelers need help at receiver, so the interest makes sense. That being said, they won’t have the market to themselves. The Kansas City Chiefs come to mind as a team that could jump in, and the Buffalo Bills might be another.

Still, Downs is going to be the next player shipped out of Indianapolis. Whether Jonathan Taylor ends up following him out the door remains to be seen. Either way, the Colts aren’t hiding what they’re doing.

Why Downs makes sense in Pittsburgh

From Pittsburgh’s perspective, this could be a reunion between Downs and Michael Pittman Jr. How much of a reunion it would actually be, though, nobody really knows.

Plenty of chatter suggests Pittman could be out for the remainder of the season, which is partially why the Steelers would be so interested in Downs. If Pittsburgh is looking at a stretch without one of its veteran pass catchers, adding a young receiver who wants out of his current situation is an easy fit.

On top of that, picture a wide receiver trio of DK Metcalf, Germie Bernard, and Downs. That group would suddenly look very good for the Steelers, and it would give Pittsburgh far more options in the passing game than it has right now.

The key line in that report from Schultz is that a deal is not considered likely this week. That means the Steelers have some time to gauge the price and see how aggressive the rest of the league gets. I don’t expect Pittsburgh to overpay. However, if the cost stays reasonable, this feels like a move worth making.

The Colts’ fire sale isn’t slowing down

For the Colts, whatever draft capital they can recoup for Downs at this point would be a win. When a player says “eh” about an extension and requests a trade minutes later, the leverage isn’t exactly in your favor.

The fire sale started with Nelson, continued with Buckner, and it’s not slowing down anytime soon. Downs is simply the next name on the list.

Pittsburgh has a need, Indianapolis has a player who wants out, and the expectation is that a trade will eventually happen. In my opinion, the Steelers should be first in line when it does.