The Pittsburgh Steelers may have called about trading for Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence , but don't expect such a move to happen any time soon.
Hours after it was first reported that the Steelers had inquired about the possibility of trading for the former No. 1 overall draft pick, ESPN reporter Michael DiRocco reported that a Jaguars source told him there is "no chance" that the Jaguars are moving on from their starting quarterback, one year after signing him to a massive contract, with DiRocco's source calling the notion "ridiculous."
DiRocco did not refute the idea that the Steelers had asked about Lawrence, only stated that the Jaguars never seriously considered the idea of trading him.
It was an unlikely match for several reasons. The Jaguars don't even have a general manager at the moment, so it's unclear who the Steelers even could have engaged with on trade talks. New head coach Liam Coen, who will have a say in who is hired as general manager, said in his introductory press conference that he was going to Jacksonville, in part, because of Lawrence.
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence in a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 29, 2023. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
"We've got to make every part of this about improvement, and he will be a part of that process," Coen said. "He's earned that right. I cannot respect his toughness and mentality, and work ethic more than I do already from afar. This will all be about Trevor right now."
Additionally, Lawrence has a no-trade clause, so he would have to sign off on such a deal.
The Steelers have been very hesitant to hand out the kind of multi-year guarantees that Lawrence has in his contract, and would be taking a significant risk that offensive coordinator Arthur Smith would be able to get more out of Lawrence than his previous coaches have.
The potential return, trading multiple high 2025 draft picks, also doesn't seem to jive with the Steelers' build-from-the-trenches out strategy.
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