Nothing in Pittsburgh will truly change until the Steelers find their next franchise quarterback. They know it, too — which is why they stockpiled draft capital in 2026 with the expectation of making a move.

That plan unraveled when almost all the notable quarterback prospects opted to return to school for another season.

The natural assumption is that the Steelers will try to flip some of their 12 picks in the 2026 draft to pick up 2027 capital. Maybe they can, but those trades are rarer than you’d think. Unless Pittsburgh is willing to part ways with its first-round pick or overpay in 2026 capital to acquire lesser picks in 2027, it’s unlikely to happen.

The Steelers haven’t conducted any such trades since 1999. And is any team going to be eager to trade picks in a potentially historic draft class for one that is lacking star power?

So how do the Steelers go about accumulating draft capital for 2027?

The best route is packaging veteran players with 2026 picks. A known commodity is far more appealing to a trade partner than additional 2026 selections that could miss entirely.

Who on the Steelers could make sense in a trade? Let’s discuss some options.

No Player Involved

This is going to be hard to pull off with how teams are valuing 2027 picks right now. The Steelers would either need to get lucky with a player falling to them to drum up trade interest from multiple teams or they would have to settle for a lopsided trade slanted away from the Steelers. If Pittsburgh is the one initiating the trade, they have to be willing to give up $1.25 this year in return for $0.75 next year. Could Pittsburgh rationalize that approach, given its desire to always compete in the present? For this trade to make any sense, it would have to be with a bottom-dweller team for a potential high first-round pick. Though there is always risk in assuming any team will be bad.

Mock Trade: 2026 first-round pick and 2027 second-round pick for 2027 first-round pick and 2026 third-round pick

ILB Patrick Queen

We don’t have to think too hard about this one. Queen has already been the subject of trade rumors this offseason, and could easily be dealt during the draft with over $10 million in 2026 cap savings for the Steelers.

He hasn’t played up to his three-year contract, and Pittsburgh is clearly eyeing potential replacements for him in the draft, with three ILB prospects hosted for pre-draft visits so far.

The Dallas Cowboys reportedly hit a snag in their trade talks for Queen and moved on, but Jerry Jones just reiterated his desire to add to the position. I wouldn’t rule out the potential of trade talks heating back up, especially if what the Steelers want in return is 2027 capital.

Queen also just switched agents, by the way.

Mock Trade: Patrick Queen and a 2026 seventh-round pick for a 2027 fourth-round pick

TE Pat Freiermuth

Freiermuth has been a consummate professional during his time in Pittsburgh — never more evident than when dealing with a reduced workload in favor of Jonnu Smith in 2025. Signed through 2028 to a relatively inexpensive deal, he would make an attractive trade option to the right team.

Normally, this wouldn’t make sense for Pittsburgh, given Jonnu Smith and Connor Heyward’s departure this offseason. They’d have a lot of work to do to fill out the room with just Darnell Washington in place. But this is said to be a historically deep and talented tight end class in 2026. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac even floated the idea of a surprise first-round selection of Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq. Why else would they target a tight end that early unless they are preparing to move one of their current players?

Mock Trade: Pat Freiermuth and a 2026 sixth-round pick for a 2027 third-round pick

OLB Nick Herbig

You can probably interchange Herbig with Alex Highsmith here. The bottom line is the Steelers have four quality outside linebackers, which makes it a prime room to use in trade conversations. Nobody wants to part with Nick Herbig, but Highsmith is signed through 2027, and the Steelers just tied themselves to T.J. Watt on a massive deal through 2028.

Would Herbig really sign an extension that would require him to waste not one, but two more of his prime years as a rotational third in Pittsburgh? Unless the Steelers want to trade Highsmith and extend Herbig now, it’s hard to see Herbig’s camp agreeing to a deal.

Fortunately for Pittsburgh, young pass rushers with a track record of making big plays can fetch pretty good trade value in return. My mock trade may seem like a lot, but what Herbig has accomplished at just 24 years old in basically one full season of starting snaps across his three-year career warrants the haul for the recipient team.

Mock Trade: Nick Herbig and a 2026 fourth-round pick (No. 135) for a 2027 second-round pick

CB Joey Porter Jr.

This one won’t be popular, but I wanted to throw at least one splashier trade in the mix. Is Pittsburgh in a position to pay premium long-term contracts to a player that still has at least some questions to answer about his game? And why did Pittsburgh send so many representatives to scout two potential first-round cornerbacks at Tennessee?

Corners have a tricky hit rate in the draft, so the recipient team would be getting a relatively proven player on his rookie contract who is still ascending. Sauce Gardner just fetched two first-round picks at the deadline last year. Could the Steelers squeeze a first-rounder out of Porter if they get creative?

Mock Trade: Joey Porter Jr. and a 2026 third-round pick (No. 99) for a 2027 first-round pick

None of the above trade scenarios would feel like clear wins for the Steelers. That’s kind of the point as teams seek an arm and a leg to part with 2027 draft capital. If I had my pick of the scenarios above, the Freiermuth and Herbig mock trades intrigue me the most. It would hurt to lose either player, but both classes offer talent deep into the fourth and fifth rounds this year, and the OLB room is already crowded as it stands.

Some of these could also play out at the trade deadline in early November, but not all of them will still make sense. Freiermuth could still be dealt then, for example, but Herbig, Porter, and Queen will either be signed to extensions or playing out the final seven games of their contracts by the time the deadline comes around. Their value would almost certainly be higher during the draft rather than at the deadline. And Pittsburgh wouldn’t have the option of sweetening the pot to enhance 2027 returns by using some of their 12 draft picks in 2026.