Fox Sports' Colin Cowherd is never one to shy away from an outrageous and baseless sports take. For those who follow basketball, at one point Cowherd told LeBron James to retire because Ben Simmons was going to become the face of the league—he could not have been more wrong if he tried. But, we digress.
Fast-forward a few years (and a few thousand more ridiculous opinions), and Cowherd dropped one of the most outrageous takes in recent memory Baltimore Ravens fans will love.
On his sports talk show, The Herd with Colin Cowherd, the controversial host suggested the Pittsburgh Steelers make a drastic move this year to get them out of their self-inflicted cycle of mediocrity. His solution? Trade the entire team for Colorado's hyped quarterback prospect, Shedeur Sanders.
While the thought of Pittsburgh moving up to try to snag a franchise cornerstone at the most important position in sports isn't inherently overtly insane, it was the haul the Steelers would have to give up to get it.
Ravens fans are hoping Mike Tomlin and the Steelers listen to Colin Cowherd
On his show, Cowherd said, "I would trade T.J. Watt, George Pickens, two first-rounders and go get Shedeur Sanders if you think he's a starting QB." Let that sink in for a hot second. Perennial Defensive Player of the Year, an up-and-coming potential superstar WR, and two first-round picks for Sanders. How awesome would that be?
"I would trade T.J. Watt, George Pickens, two first rounders and go get Shedeur Sanders if you think he's a starting QB."
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) January 16, 2025
— @ColinCowherd pic.twitter.com/J8y2bU1lWz
What a haul. This would put the Steelers right into the rebuilding bucket on the NFL hierarchy. This move would really set them back, regardless of how Sanders plays. The defense would lack a true star rusher, and their already anemic offense would lose its most electric player. In recent years, they haven't necessarily been known for developing elite offensive talent.
Getting rid of their lone bright offensive player sounds great for Baltimore.
While the move would surely put the Steelers behind the proverbial eight-ball for at least a few seasons, there is the "who would they trade with to make this happen" dilemma. It seems rather unlikely a QB-needy team would be willing to essentially trade spots with Pittsburgh and move their pick, but never say never.
The amount of teams within an earshot of Sanders is pretty limited. He's expected to go No. 2 to the Cleveland Browns, but his floor looks like the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 6. Cleveland probably couldn't touch this trade with a 10-foot pole with their cap situation, leaving the New York Giants, New England Patriots, and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Out of those three teams, there are some intriguing options who could make the move—specifically the G-Men and the Pats. While New York doesn't have a franchise QB, this move would significantly help them and they could sign a bridge QB for the now and draft a player either later on in the draft or the next season. Meanwhile, the Pats already have their future QB set with Drake Maye. They're projected to have the most cap space in the offseason.
This would be an interesting move for either team, and Ravens fans should be rooting for either to take a big swing here and rob the Steelers of an immediate future.
At the end of the day, Colin Cowherd’s proposal is every Ravens fan’s dream scenario—a Steelers team willingly hitting the self-destruct button. Trading T.J. Watt, George Pickens, and two first-rounders for an unproven rookie quarterback would be nothing short of a gift for Baltimore. Whether Pittsburgh actually entertains such nonsense is unlikely, but hey, if they’re listening, the Ravens would be more than happy to send Cowherd’s pitch directly to Mike Tomlin’s desk.