NFL analyst solves the Steelers’ quarterback dilemma by naming the one player Pittsburgh should trade for during the NFL Draft
Fox Sports named one player that every team should trade for during the 2026 NFL Draft, and the Steelers have one of the more interesting names.
The 2026 NFL Draft is inching ever closer, and it’s a perfect year for the Pittsburgh Steelers to be named host city. Armed with 12 picks and needs at the quarterback and wide receiver positions, the Steelers could provide some fireworks for the city of Pittsburgh.
But what if those fireworks included a big-time trade? Not for a player in the draft, but for a veteran already in the league. That’s what Fox Sports is proposing for the Steelers.
Fox Sports says the Steelers should trade for Mac Jones during the 2026 NFL Draft
Acquire: QB Mac Jones from the San Francisco 49ers
Cost: 2026 second-round pick (53rd), 2026 sixth-round pick (216th)
“The Steelers have to find their quarterback of the future because they can’t roll with Aaron Rodgers forever. But this isn’t a good draft to find one, and they’re not likely to be high enough in next year’s draft to get an elite prospect then, either. So, why not trade a second-round pick to get one now?”
” Jones showed his value in his eight starts in San Francisco last season, and the former first-rounder is still only 27. He’s not as mobile as Steelers coach Mike McCarthy prefers, but he has all the other tools. And even if Pittsburgh still decides to draft a quarterback next year, he’d be great insurance for Rodgers this year on a team that has postseason goals.” – Ralph Vacchiano, Fox Sports
Why trading for Mac Jones would be a mistake
The problem with this trade scenario isn’t so much the player as it the cost. Simply put, Mac Jones is not worth the 53rd pick in the draft. That may be what the 49ers want for him, but outside of his rookie season, Jones has largely been a backup.
He’s 25-32 over the course of his career, when starting with 67 TDs, 50 interceptions, and a 66% completion percentage. That’s about as middle-of-the-road backup as it gets. Sure, Jones thrived and went 5-3 last year with the San Francisco 49ers and Kyle Shanahan, but outside of Trey Lance, everyone does well with Shanahan.
So to give up premium capital for a player who has largely been a backup at a premium position, just proves that the math isn’t mathing in this one.
