Diagnosing what a Steelers ‘blockbuster’ offseason trade would look like

For those who may not have heard yet, the Kansas City Chiefs sent shockwaves across the NFL landscape by trading their All-Pro cornerback Marcus Peters to the Los Angeles Rams for several draft picks. At the time this article was written, it was unknown exactly what draft picks were given, or even if any players were involved.

Nonetheless, it made me wonder what a big-time trade like this would resemble if it involved the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Who would be the player leaving? And what would the compensation be for said player?

I, like most Steelers fans, thought of one player immediately when participating in this exercise — Le’Veon Bell. Bell has been requesting a boat load of money, and it would severely cramp the team’s already small salary cap space. On top of that, Bell is coming off a solid season and his stock may never be higher.

The next question would be compensation. If you cannot get a starter at one of the many key positions the Steelers are looking to fill this offseason, (safety, inside linebacker, running back in this case, and others) then there should be a lot of draft picks involved. For an All-Pro player like Bell, it isn’t out of the question to think a 1st round pick, and maybe a 2nd round pick would be involved. If not a 2nd, a 3rd round pick.

It all would depend on the team involved in the trade, where they pick in a particular round and what the team feels is a fair deal for one of the most dynamic offensive players in the NFL.

But what other members of the Steelers could be involved in a huge trade like the Peters to L.A. trade?

Cameron Heyward would certainly shock the fan base. The defensive captain is a seasoned veteran coming off a double-digit sack season. He certainly would garner some quality compensation.

Martavis Bryant has already been the subject of rumors and the Steelers fielding phone calls regarding a potential trade. The issue here is the compensation for a player in his final year of his rookie contract, and one bad urine sample away from the NFL giving him the Josh Gordon treatment, might not have the team receiving the compensation they deem to be worth it.

If the team wanted to bring in a ridiculous haul, even more than Bell, Antonio Brown would be the player to put on the trade block. The best receiver in the NFL would certainly give the organization enough compensation to completely alter their roster, and possibly for years to come.

Now, I don’t see any of these players leaving the organization via trade, even Bryant, but it is interesting to consider what, and who, would all be involved in one of these big-time trades the Steelers are seemingly never a part of.

If you were to put a player on the trade block, who would it be? And what would you expect in return? Let us know in the comment section below!