‘Shedeur Sanders Is Not Worth All That’ — Fans React to Colin Cowherd’s Proposal of Steelers Trading T.J. Watt and George Pickens To Draft Colorado QB
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ season ended disappointingly as they lost 28-14 to the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Round. The AFC North team lost five straight games to end the season and now has a lot of unanswered questions left for the offseason.
Russell Wilson started the season well, but he was one of the reasons why the team struggled at the end of the campaign. Both Wilson and Justin Fields are free agents, and Colin Cowherd recently suggested the Steelers should move multiple star players and draft assets to trade up and draft Shedeur Sanders. His trade proposal was instantly rejected by NFL fans on social media.
Fans Oppose Colin Cowherd’s Advice for Steelers
Cowherd discussed the trade idea on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd,” which involved the Steelers trading away T.J. Watt, George Pickens, and first-round picks to draft Sanders in the 2025 NFL Draft.
“The Steelers have been, you know, putting Band-Aids on for six years,” Cowherd said. “I think they have to rip it off. I would trade T.J. Watt, George Pickens, and two first-round picks if your scouting department said Shedeur Sanders is the guy because I think Cam Ward is going to go No. 1. I think Sheduer Sanders, you could get at Nos. 5, 6, or 7.”
He gave examples of how the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens didn’t hesitate in drafting Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson while having Alex Smith and Joe Flacco on the roster.
Although drafting a quarterback like Sanders might be the right move for the Steelers, they cannot afford to part ways with Watt, Pickens, and two first-round picks to do that. Here’s how some of the fans reacted to the FS1 analyst’s trade proposal:
Sheduer is not worth all that 😭
— Drake 10 (@DrakesPats) January 16, 2025
“Watt alone is worth 2 firsts and some change, and Pickens alone could probably command a first and some change,” said a fan.
Another fan added, “When did Shedeur Sanders become Peyton Manning?”
Under no circumstances can you trade TJ Watt this is hilariously bad 💀 https://t.co/kJvqDCnyIq
— Cam Electronica (@CDShabazz) January 16, 2025
One fan said, “This is the worst trade proposal I’ve ever heard.”
“This the dumbest s**t I ever heard. Trade a 1st ballot HOF [Watt] for a guy [Sanders] who may not even be a Day 1 starter,” wrote a fan.
This would be one of the worst trades in the history of the NFL https://t.co/OnKlLA7QVZ
— Jonah Strickland (@strickland_j13) January 17, 2025
Watt and Pickens both have only one year left on their current contracts. The franchise might consider trading one of them, and as mentioned by a fan above, Pittsburgh could get a decent return for both of them.
The upcoming draft class isn’t stacked with talented quarterbacks, so the Steelers might not be as aggressive in drafting a quarterback as they were with Kenny Pickett in 2022. Sticking with Fields over Wilson may be the better option for the Steelers as the former has age on his side and has a bigger upside than Wilson, who may no longer be the quarterback of a Super Bowl-contending team.
Mike Tomlin Needs To Make a Big Move for Next Season
Mike Tomlin has been the Steelers’ head coach since the 2007 season and won the Super Bowl in his second season with the team. Since then, the team has made just one Super Bowl appearance and failed to win a playoff game since 2017.
Tomlin and the Steelers have lost six straight playoff games, and fans are not happy with the team’s situation. Many of them want the team to part ways with the head coach, so Tomlin needs to make some big decisions this offseason.
The Steelers head coach needs to lead the team to a deep playoff run next season or he might possibly lose his job. There will be plenty of teams around the league interested in hiring him, but if Tomlin wants to stay in Pittsburgh, he has to convince the front office to get the players that he wants, even if it comes at the cost of one poor season.
If the Steelers fail to upgrade the quarterback position, they should look to offload other players to get draft capital in return. Texas’ Arch Manning could be available in the 2026 NFL Draft, so a year of tanking might set up the Steelers for long-term success.
Pittsburgh has always been consistent under Tomlin and has never had a losing season. However, some fans would rather have a bad season to get a better draft pick than be stuck in mediocrity forever. Either the Steelers should trade their star players to rebuild from scratch, or they may need to make a flashy move to get the quarterback of their choice.
