Report: Once Deshaun Watson is traded it could lead to Pittsburgh Steelers acquiring a QB via trade
Multiple reports over the last few days have indicated that the Pittsburgh Steelers aren't a player in the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes. But that doesn't mean that Watson won't have an impact on the Steelers' offseason plans. In fact, a report on Saturday morning from Pro Football Focus reporter Doug Kyed indicated that once Watson is […]
Multiple reports over the last few days have indicated that the Pittsburgh Steelers aren't a player in the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes.
But that doesn't mean that Watson won't have an impact on the Steelers' offseason plans.
In fact, a report on Saturday morning from Pro Football Focus reporter Doug Kyed indicated that once Watson is traded (if anyone is willing to meet the Houston Texans' high asking price), it could be the "precursor" to other quarterback moves. One such move would be the San Francisco 49ers trading Jimmy Garoppolo.
Kyed noted that Pittsburgh has been connected to Garoppolo, as well as free agent quarterbacks Marcus Mariota and Mitch Trubisky.
Garoppolo, who is 33-14 in his career as a starter, would make sense for the Steelers. They could probably get him for a second-round pick and an additional late-round draft pick (maybe less). That's not an exorbitant cost for a starting quarterback (much less than the multiple first-round picks that Houston wants for Watson). He's set to be a free agent after the 2022 season, which means Pittsburgh would have a year to work on an extension with the Illinois native.
The only concern here is that Garoppolo recently had shoulder surgery. He's expected to be cleared by the start of training camp, but that still makes him a bit of a risk. Garoppolo, when healthy, can get the Steelers to the Super Bowl (thanks to Pittsburgh's elite defense). But that's a big "if". Shoulder surgery for quarterbacks is always scary.
Still, Garoppolo is a better option — even with the shoulder surgery — than Mariota or Trubisky (who is receiving way too much offseason hype). There's some unknown with Garoppolo, but at least fans know he's a talented quarterback who has played in a Super Bowl before.
Featured image via Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
