The Super Bowl champ was let go by the struggling Broncos, who are now trying to rebuild their team through the NFL Draft, but will still pay their former star player $35 million this season – the biggest dead salary cap hit in NFL history.
The Steelers were happy to let Pickett go after signing Russell Wilson in what seems to be one of the best deals of the offseason, bringing him in on a one-year contract worth $1.5 million.
Along with Wilson, the Steelers made a similar trade to get Justin Fields as they did when they traded away Pickett – getting the former Chicago Bears starter for just a sixth-round pick. Fields has had moments of brilliance during his three years in the league, but failed to convince the Bears to keep him – with Chicago now focusing on Caleb Williams in the NFL Draft. The Steelers have already said Wilson will be their starting player.
Pittsburgh entered the 2024 offseason with two fourth-round picks (Nos. 119 and 120), but traded the latter when they sent quarterback Kenny Pickett to the Eagles for a third-round pick (No. 98) and two 2025 seventh-rounders. With the move, the Steelers traded up 22 slots in the 2024 draft.
Pittsburgh had acquired the extra fourth-rounder from the Rams in the 2023 Kevin Dotson trade, in which the Steelers sent Dotson, a 2024 fifth-round pick (No. 155), and a 2025 sixth-rounder to the Rams in exchange for the Rams’ 2024 fourth-rounder (No. 120) and a 2025 fifth-rounder.
The moves leave the Steelers with one pick each in rounds 1, 2, and 4, two picks each in rounds 3 and 6, and no picks in rounds 5 and 7 of the 2024 NFL Draft. Pittsburgh is set to pick four times in the top 100.
The Steelers have no compensatory picks in 2024.
For those looking ahead to 2025, Pittsburgh is currently set to pick at their own slots in every round except the sixth due to sending that pick to Los Angeles in the Dotson trade. However, in exchange they received an extra 2025 fifth-rounder.
