The Pittsburgh Steelers haven't historically been a team to make shockwaves with trade additions. Mike Tomlin's team has done so twice this offseason, swapping for DK Metcalf and, on Monday, Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith .
The most shocking part of the blockbuster deal with the Miami Dolphins was three-time first-team Associated Press All-Pro Minkah Fitzpatrick heading the other way. The exchange has a strong case for being the wildest in Steelers history, but what are some other trades the team has made that have turned heads?
No, Ross Cockrell being sent away for a seventh-rounder in 2017 didn't make the cut.
17 October 2004: Pittsburgh HB Jerome Bettis during the Steelers' 24-20 win over the Cowboys at Texas Stadium in Irving, TX. Mandatory Credit: Karl Wright/Icon SMI
Before the trade:Bettis had a hot start out of the gate for the Rams. The team's first-round draft choice in 1993, he picked up 1,429 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground as a newcomer. He earned the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year award, then surpassed 1,000 rushing yards the next season, too.
His production dipped in 1995 before head coach Rich Brooks forced him out. At 24 years old, with a lot of tread left on his tires, Bettis became expendable after the Rams drafted Lawrence Phillips in the first round. Bettis chose Pittsburgh over another suitor in the Houston Oilers.
With the Steelers:The Bus spent a decade plowing defenders over in the Steel City.
Bettis made an instant impact, rushing for 1,431 yards and 11 touchdowns during his first season in black and gold, respectively ranking third and fifth in the NFL. He was tapped as a first-team AP All-Pro for the effort, then had his best statistical campaign as a professional in 1997. He rushed for 1,665 yards and seven touchdowns on a league-leading 375 carries that year.
During the last two seasons of his Pro Football Hall of Fame career, Bettis took a backseat to Duce Staley and Willie Parker . Bettis started only six games during that span, but still chipped in with 48.5 rushing yards per game and 22 touchdown surges. He rode into the sunset as a champion after winning Super Bowl XL in his hometown.
All told, Bettis was a 1,000-yard rusher in each of his first six go-rounds with the Steelers. He trails only Franco Harris on the Steelers' all-time rushing yards and touchdowns leaderboard, having run for 10,571 yards and 78 touchdowns. Only seven players in NFL history have rushed for more yards than Bettis.
Oct. 2, 2011 – Houston, Texas, U.S – Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu (43) on the bench waits for the defense to take the field. Houston Texans beat he Pittsburgh Steelers 17-10 at Reliant Stadium in Houston Texas
Breaking the trade down:The Steelers hadn't ever traded up in the first round before they gave Kansas City the No. 27, No. 92 and No. 200 overall picks for the Chiefs ' No. 16. Polamalu had dealt with hamstring issues at USC the season prior, setting him up to slide in the order. Bill Cowher and Kevin Colbert couldn't be too safe.
"Maybe some teams thought we'd be stupid to move up and take a player who would have been there (at 27) anyway?" former Steelers college scouting coordinator Ron Hughes said . "But we'd definitely make that trade again now."
With the Steelers:Polamalu never wore another NFL team's uniform. He was a black-and-gold blur that frustrated opposing offenses with his range and athleticism on the back end.
Polamalu spent a dozen seasons with the Steelers, winning a pair of Super Bowls, four first-team AP All-Pro honors, and the 2010 AP Defensive Player of the Year award. He registered 32 interceptions, 107 passes defended, 14 forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries.
He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020.
Pittsburgh Steelers free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick runs onto the field for the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Oct. 29, 2023. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Before the trade:Fitzpatrick spent just over a season in Miami after being taken with the No. 11 overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft. He was just one of seven rookies with over 80 tackles and at least two interceptions, but became annoyed with the way he was being deployed in then-Dolphins head coach Brian Flores' defense.
With the Steelers:Fitzpatrick's takeaway production wasn't always lacking . Along with a forced fumble and a pair of fumble recoveries, he picked off five passes the season he arrived in Pittsburgh, including a 96-yard return for a touchdown, and earned the first of three first-team AP All-Pro nods.
During the three campaigns after, he totaled 12 interceptions, including a league-high six in 2022. The success tapered off over the past two go-rounds, in which he had just one pick and a forced fumble. The drought was part of what made him expendable.
JACKSONVILLE, FL – NOVEMBER 18: Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown (84) during the first half of an NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Jacksonville Jaguars on November 18, 2018, at TIAA Bank Field. (Photo by Roy K. Miller/Icon Sportswire)
With the Steelers:Only Julio Jones can try to claim to be a better receiver than Brown was during his time. Brown garnered four consecutive first-team Associated Press All-Pro honors from 2014-17 and posted six straight 1,000-yard efforts to close out his Steelers career.
After the trade:Brown didn't play a single regular-season snap for Gruden, as he was released after seemingly making the news for anything but football, including a tantrum over his helmet model and a frostbitten foot.
He played one game with Tom Brady and New England before being cut amid sexual assault allegations. Brown later reunited with Brady in Tampa Bay, won a Super Bowl and ran shirtless off the field to put a stamp on his career.
The return:The Steelers used the picks they got on Diontae Johnson (No. 66 overall, 2019) and Zach Gentry (No. 141). Johnson was the team's No. 1 receiver for the bulk of his time with the Steelers, putting up a 1,161-yard, eight-touchdown effort in 2021. Gentry was a largely inconspicuous tight end for four seasons before fizzling out in Las Vegas .
October 25 2009: Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes (10) carries the ball. The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Minnesota Vikings by a score of 27 to 17 at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA.
With the Steelers:A four-year Steelers starter after being taken in the first round in 2006, Holmes will forever be remembered for his toe-dragging, go-ahead touchdown catch in the back corner of the end zone in Super Bowl XLIII.
After winning Super Bowl MVP, Holmes had a banner season — a 79-grab, 1,248-yard effort in 2009 — and was aiming to build on it when he was chased to New York. Holmes previously had a pair of run-ins with the law while with the Steelers and was facing a four-game suspension for violation of the league's substance abuse policy. Not to mention, he was up for a new contract at the end of that upcoming season.
"Obviously, there's been some bumps in the road in the past and hopefully he's learned from that," then-Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum said. "We understand that there's risks, significant risks."
After the trade:Holmes spent four seasons with the Jets, none of which were particularly notable statistics-wise. He started all 16 games in a season just once in New York, in 2011, and his candle eventually burned out in Chicago .
The return:The Steelers packaged the pick they received in return to acquire a 2010 sixth-round pick — which wound up netting them Antonio Brown — and Bryant McFadden from Arizona .
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant (10) walks on the sidelines during an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Monday, Oct. 20, 2014 in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
With the Steelers:With his athleticism, Bryant once appeared to be the 1B to Brown's 1A. Bryant had 1,314 receiving yards and 14 touchdown grabs over his first two go-rounds in Pittsburgh, more than expected from a fourth-round draft pick.
However, he was suspended for the first four games of his second campaign, then for the entirety of the following one. Bryant had 603 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 50 catches in 2017, then was offloaded to Jon Gruden's Raiders.
After the trade:Bryant was released four months after the trade as he faced another ban. After being signed back, he played in eight games for Oakland — totaling 19 receptions for 266 yards and no touchdowns — and was suspended indefinitely.
Bryant had stops with Dallas and Washington after floating around in other leagues.
The return:The Steelers used the No. 79 overall pick they got in return to help them move up in the third round in 2018 to draft Mason Rudolph .
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool in a game against the Baltimore Ravens, Jan. 9, 2022. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
With the Steelers:During his rookie season, it looked like Claypool was set up to be a staple in the Steelers' offense for years to come. He had 62 catches for 873 yards and nine touchdowns in 2020, then put up 59 grabs for 860 yards and two scores the next year. It was downhill from there.
After the trade:Claypool had just 22 receptions for 217 yards in 17 games after being sent to Chicago and, subsequently, Miami. He never saw game action after signing in Buffalo after that.
The return:With a pick that was basically a first-rounder, the Steelers took cornerback Joey Porter Jr. No. 32 overall in 2023. Porter is a starter in the team's secondary and has played in 33 regular-season games.
With the Steelers:A fifth-round pick in 1990, Foster became the Steelers' top running back by his third season. That was the best of his five-year career, as he rushed for 1,690 yards and 11 touchdowns on a league-leading 390 gives. He was honored as a first-team AP All-Pro for the effort and finished as Steve Young's runner-up for the NFL's MVP award.
Over the next two seasons, Foster totaled 1,562 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground. Injuries slowed him, however, opening the door for other guys, such as Bam Morris, to usurp him.
After the trade:Foster was cut in Panthers training camp after failing a physical. He'd been dealing with a multitude of injuries, including a sore foot, inflamed ankles and swelling in his knee.
"We have to have players on the practice field, working, to get a feel for what they can do," then-Panthers head coach Dom Capers said after Foster's release. "It's hard to give effort if you're not out on the practice field. … We thought the production we saw did not warrant the investment."
Foster soon retired, then had a two-day stint with Cincinnati later that season before calling it quits for good.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Where Does Ramsey Deal Land in Top All-Time Steelers Trades?
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