NEW Steelers Trade Rumors & Intel Ft. Calvin Ridley, Brandin Cooks & Tre Tucker

NEW Steelers Trade Rumors & Intel Ft. Calvin Ridley, Brandin Cooks & Tre Tucker

Tonight on Steelers Talk, we’re going to be breaking down the latest Steelers trade rumors. And then also, make sure you guys stick around to the end of today’s show for a reason for optimism when it comes to this week’s Sunday Night Football matchup versus the Green Bay Packers. Make sure you guys give me a follow on X if you haven’t already. I provide you guys free and informative content on the Pittsburgh Steelers there every single day. A lot of times I’ll put out my takes on certain things when breaking news happens on the Pittsburgh Steelers, even even before I give my take here on Steelers Talk. So if you guys want that content, I also put out film analysis up on there. Um my my film study notes also go up on there each and every week on the Pittsburgh Steelers. So if you guys want even more Steelers content from me on X, I’m really close to 5,000 followers, guys. So I’d really appreciate it if you help me out here. I’m atjack_sperry if you guys want to help me out today. So, now let’s dive into some wide receiver names that are being thrown out in trade and even free agency rumors for the Pittsburgh Steelers uh with the trade deadline looming in just a few weeks. We’ll start here with Andrew Filipony. And of course, you always have to take his reports with a grain of salt here, but he says rumor two wide receivers on the Steelers radar who will get traded for peanuts at the NFL trade deadline are veteran wide outs Brandon Cook and Tyler Lockett given Aaron Rogers penchant for professional route runners who will be in the right place at the right time. Both would be fits. Now, just so you guys know, Tyler Lockett actually is getting released by the Tennessee Titans today, so the Steelers can actually get him without having to trade for him. Uh, but as usual, take Pony quote unquote reports with a grain of salt here. Now, um, you know, I certainly think that these are two guys that are inexpensive kind of wide receiver three, wide receiver 4 caliber of dudes that the Pittsburgh Steelers may be considering adding, but certainly the case that a lot of Steelers fans want the team to go out and get a bigger name. But let’s talk about these guys’ possibilities. We’ll start with Brandon Cooks. All right. And you know, Brandon used to be, you know, a legitimate starting caliber receiver that could uh, you know, play on the outside as kind of a smaller guy, but he was really fast. He was a really good route runner, really good double move guy, really great vertical threat, as well as somebody that could get open to the short and intermediate levels of the field. Had strong hands, all that great stuff. But he is certainly a bit of a shell of his former self this year. New Orleans, uh, just 13 catches for 124 yards and no touchdowns. Um, you know, certainly Chris Olive and Rasheed Shahed and those guys have been featured a bit more uh this year in Nola with Spencer Rattler throwing them the football. And Brandon Cooks right now, man, he’s 32 years old. You know, I’m sure he’s probably not going to have too many years left in the National Football League. Uh, but you know, he brings, you know, you know, he’s not he’s maybe a little bit bigger than people think he is. 193 pounds isn’t like crazy light. Uh, and he is pretty tough over the middle of the field. He still has good hands. He’s still uh a pretty good and a pretty good and and technically sound route runner. He’s got pretty quick feet. He’s kind of lost his speed at this point, but he’s in the final year of his contract with the New Orleans Saints, and they’re going to be in the middle of a fire sale. I’m I I’m pretty sure they would probably take him for like a seventh round pick or maybe even a late round pick swap. Like, you can really get him for close to nothing in my opinion. And my take on Brandon Cooks, guys, is that he has pretty good hands still. He can still make some tough catches. His best highlight of the year was kind of a weird body control type of catch where he’s contorting his body and he like caught it with one hand on a poorly thrown ball by Spencer Rattler and he can run decent routes. So like if you’re looking for a route runner that can get open versus man coverage, Brandon Cooks can still do that, but because he’s lost his speed and uh he he can’t really separate vertically. Now the Steelers don’t necessarily need that. They’ve got a lot of vertical threats uh that can run on this team and he’s not much of a yak threat. Uh but certainly the Steelers have plenty of those kinds of guys as well. So if you’re looking for a possession route running type of wide receiver that’s not going to give you much juice as a deep threat or as a yak threat and you’re just looking for somebody that’s going to be have reliable hands, somebody that can make tough catches, somebody that can uh run good routes and separate versus man coverage as a wide receiver three, Brandon Cooks might make a lot of sense for the Pittsburgh Steelers in that regard. And that’s how you know this whole set uh kind of situation would work. he would not take over Calvin Austin the third’s role as the number two receiver or anything like that. He’d be more of a number three or number four piece. Uh but like I said guys, Pittsburgh could get him for a super low price. You know, there the New Orleans is going to be selling pieces off um and they’re going to be stockpiling picks for the NFL uh draft next year. So, if the Steelers want to do a pick swap of some kind in the late rounds or just give them a seventh round pick, I think that might be enough to get this deal done and get a route runner here in Pittsburgh. certainly some other guys that I would rather add to the Steelers team. Um but you know I could understand the reasoning why the Steelers would potentially make that move. And then uh for Tyler Lockett, he was actually released by the Tennessee Titans today. Um this was reported by Adam Shfter from ESPN today saying veteran wide receiver Tyler Lockett has asked for and received his release from the Tennessee Titans. Per source Lockett is expected to be uh free to sign with another team after 400 pm on Wednesday. So definitely another name to keep your eye out for on the free agency market specifically because the Steelers wouldn’t have to give up any draft picks to acquire him. Um but you know in Tennessee this year just eight catches for 52 yards. He wasn’t uh doing anything. And frankly last year in Seattle he didn’t have a really great season either. Um and you know I think that he’s somebody that you know is getting older. He’s 33 years old and you know this is just what happens. Okay. you you lose a little bit of a step and I think Lockett has lost a step and you know he’s going to be looking for a team that he can go in and I’m sure he’ll be interested in the Pittsburgh Steelers. We’ll see how Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan feel about him. Certainly a name to monitor just because he’s free essentially to acquire for like the vet minimum. Uh but he hadn’t been getting the ball a whole lot in Tennessee this year. And personally, I I’m I’m I’m not looking to add a Tyler Locket uh Tyler Lockett type player uh to the Pittsburgh Steelers offense, guys. I think he’s lost uh his step, so his verticality. And what really made him special back in the day was his ability to separate down the field, uh be a great deep threat, all that stuff. I think he’s lost that ability, and he’s still a decent route runner, you know, short and intermediate levels of the field. But honestly, if you’re looking for a guy that role, I would rather go out and get a guy like Brandon Cooks who can still uh run routes better than Lockett can. And I think he’s got tougher hands than Lockett does. So, my take on the whole Tyler Lockett kind of idea, guys, is I would have liked to add him add him maybe, you know, last off season um you know, to pair him up with Russell Wilson. He had great chemistry with Russell Wilson back in the day and I would have been down for this um you know, last year maybe, but like this year, you don’t have Russell Wilson anymore. Lockett has shown on film for two straight years that he’s not the same player that he used to be. Uh so, you know, could you do worse in free agency than Tyler Lockett? I guess, but I I honestly wouldn’t be too jazzed about this guys that I’m not sure how productive he’d be if the Steelers brought him in. And if you want to talk about free agents, like I honestly think I would rather have Marquez Valdis Scantling compared to Tyler Lockett. Unlike Lockett, MVS actually still has his speed. He put up some pretty good numbers in New Orleans last year as a true deep threat. And honestly, San Francisco didn’t use MVS in the way that maybe I would have as a true deep threat. They used him as kind of like an underneath kind of guy, as kind of somebody that would just sit down and be like a checkown option. here in Pittsburgh. I think Aaron Rogers would advocate for MVS to actually be, you know, unleashed and to be, you know, used as a true deep threat in this offense, uh, to take the top off the the offense, open things up underneath for DK and Calvin, you know, and your other players and your tight ends, of course. And, you know, I think that, you know, if I had the choice between MVS and Tyler Lockett, neither of those guys are ideal options in my opinion, but personally, I’d rather go with the guy that’s faster and somebody that has more experience with the quarterback here in Pittsburgh. So, take your pick for me down there in the comments section. None of these guys are ideal. I understand that. But if the Steelers are looking for an inexpensive veteran option to add to this group, which I think is actually probably likely, uh, which one would you rather add? Would you like to trade, you know, like a seventh round pick for Brandon Cooks or would you like to sign Tyler Lockit in free agency or would you rather go get MVS? Let me know your answer to this question down there in the comments section for today’s pin question. Just a second here. I’m going to tell you about our sponsor today at Omaha Stakes. 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See site for details. And a big thank you to Omaha Stakes for sponsoring today’s edition of Steelers Talk. Another name that’s being floated around out there, and that’s somebody that’s more of like a quote unquote legit wide receiver, too, uh, in trade rumors to the Pittsburgh Steelers, is Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley. All right. And this name has been floated out there a lot, including by former Steeler offensive lineman Trey Essex. And by the way, Trey is a great follow on X. I highly recommend you check out his stuff. He does has some great analysis of the Steelers offensive line, but he says here, “I have zero sources.” So, he acknowledges that upfront, but he says, “Haven’t seen or even read this anywhere, but I just have this feeling that we may be in play for Calvin Ridley. He has two years left after this year for 20 millie per season. Not guaranteed. Very cap friendly for a top end number two wide receiver. A third rounder may do it for a Titans team in the midst of a probable fire sale.” So, let’s talk about Calvin Ridley here, guys, because I agree with Trey that this is probably going to be a little bit of an under the radar kind of sneaky wide receiver target that I think could be somewhat realistic for the Pittsburgh Steelers. That is if they are looking for like a 1B type of option to DK Metaf or like a quote unquote legit wide receiver, too. Now, the thing about Ridley is that he is an electric deep threat. He’s got incredible vertical speed and his quickness and route running ability is really, really awesome as well. So, if you’re looking for somebody that can get open versus man and stretch the field vertically and bring some pretty decent size to the table at 61, 190 lbs, Calvin Ridley may be your guy, man. Plus, he’s a veteran. He’s been around the block. He’s probably looking for a chance to win while he’s still uh has his legs with him. And like Trey mentioned here, he’s under contract for this year plus two more years, but those years are not guaranteed. So, if he’s playing well and he’s worth that money, the Steelers can keep him around. If not, they can just let him go with no dead cap charge uh attributed to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Okay. So, it’s certainly something where uh I would be interested if the Tennessee Titans are willing to let him go, but that really is the question, right? Does Tennessee see a 30-year-old Calvin Ridley as a part of their future with Cam Ward? I would say he hasn’t had a particularly great start uh developing a connection with Cam Ward. Uh the big bugaboo with him in his profile is that he doesn’t have great hands. He’s not a great contested catch guy. He’ll have concentration drops. Uh so he can be a little bit frustrating as a player in that way and he is expensive. So you know Tennessee is going to be getting ready to bring in another new head coach next off season. And uh you know do they really want to kickstart this rebuild with Cam Ward at quarterback at the helm uh with a then 31-year-old expensive Calvin Ridley? And like if the plan is to just release him at the end of the season anyway, you might as well trade him at the deadline and get something for him. So, I actually think this one is a lot more realistic than some people uh may be willing to acknowledge here. The Titans season is over. They’ve already fired their head coach. I think that this one is certainly within play. But something to keep in mind here, guys, is that really is dealing with a hamstring injury right now. So, the the big question for me is a is Tennessee really shopping him. I think the answer could be yes there. But then the other question is um you know is he healthy with that hamstring injury? And I we just don’t know uh what the answer is to that question. But if Ridley is healthy, I would be completely down for the Pittsburgh Steelers to go get him. Okay. If the Steelers want to run more three wide receiver stuff, they want to have DK at the one, Ridley at the two, Calvin Austin at the three, that’s one of the best wide receiver trios in football right there would be an immediate upgrade to this wide receiver room. Okay. So, you know, he he puts out a third round pick. Trey does in his trade idea. Personally, I would I would probably rather do a fourth round pick because if he stinks um or, you know, he continues to get injured and the Steelers want to let him go, then you’re giving up a third round pick for somebody you’re releasing after just a half a season. Um but, you know, I I I I think a fourth round pick is probably uh what I would offer guys. But let me know what you guys think down there in the comments section. If this is the price to go get Calvin Ridley, are you accepting it or are you declining it? type A for accept or D for decline. Let me know what you guys think down there in the comments section. Now, we still have one more uh to talk about on today’s show in terms of wide receiver targets, guys. And we all know that Jacobe Meyers is a potential trade target for the Pittsburgh Steelers. All right, he didn’t play last week versus Kansas City. Um, you know, he’s been he requested a trade before the season even began. The Raiders season is done and they’re going to be selling at the deadline. You know, there’s certainly reason to believe that Jacobe Meyers is going to be on the move before the trade deadline. We all know that that’s a that that’s a very inplay option for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but some are now throwing out the idea of Trey Tucker, their smaller, speedier wide receiver, as the uh potential fit for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ian Rapaort from NFL Network did say that the Steelers could be looking for a vertical threat, somebody that’s a speedy kind of deep threat. And Trey Tucker would fit that description more than Jacobe Meyers. This is what Jacob uh Punoui from Sports Illustrated, Pittsburgh Steelers, had to say about this idea. He threw this out there. He said, “Jacob Meers is the trade target the Raiders are most likely to move on from. The Steelers should be targeting his speedier counterpart, Trey Tucker. He posted over 500 receiving yards last year, and he’s going to surpass that shortly in 2025 with 389 yards and four touchdowns already. The 24year-old pass catcher is undersized at 5’8, but he possesses lightning quick feet and precise route running skills.” Hm. kind of sounds like somebody that I know on the Steelers roster already. Uh but you know, you take a look at Trey Tucker, still on his rookie contract, only 24 years old, 5’8, 182 pounds. You know, he’s he’s he’s uh heavier than Calvin Austin the third, but a very similar type of player, very speedy, very undersized, you know, kind of vertical threats that can also run routes to all three levels of the field. Very quick feet. Um he’s he’s also pretty darn good after the catch. And you know, he’s got one year left on his rookie contract after this one. So, if you trade for him, you get not only the rest of this season on a cheap deal, but also a really cheap number for him next year. Now, he might be looking for a new contract next off season, especially if he keeps the production up that he’s been putting up to start this season. But honestly, I kind of doubt Las Vegas is going to trade Tucker at this point. Uh he’s he’s been probably their most effective wide receiver this year in terms of stuff in the stat sheet. Um you know, uh you know, getting open for Gino Smith. He’s got he’s developed a pretty decent connection with Gino, even though Gino’s sucking it up right now in Vegas. Uh, but you know, another thing here, guys, is do the Pittsburgh Steelers really want another super tiny route running kind of deep threat receiver and like a Calvin Austin the third clone? Honestly, I’m not sure if they want that, especially because they already have other players behind uh Scott uh not Scotty Miller, a Calvin Austin the third in this wide receiver room. Roman Wilson, Scotty Miller, you know, they’ve got a lot of these kind of smaller deep threat types of guys already. Do they really want to add another one in Trey Tucker? I’m not too sure of that. I think that they would like to add somebody with a bit more size that can also stretch the field. You know, maybe somebody that’s got a little bit more size and can separate versus man coverage and, you know, help out Aaron Rogers in that way. But, you know, I don’t think that I don’t think the Raiders are going to be letting go of a 24 year old player that’s been producing really well for them. Uh, still on his rookie contract for a rebuilding team. I don’t think there’s much incentive to trade him. I think Jacobe Myers is on an expiring contract. He already wants out. He’s getting older. I think that piece makes a lot more sense to trade away. Um, so I just don’t see Trey Tuxer Tucker as a realistic option for the Pittsburgh Steelers this year. Now, we’ll shift here to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette’s Jerry Dulac, who said uh this week that Pittsburgh is quote unquote not actively looking for a wide receiver trade. Uh he says that they’re always looking and they’re always, you know, o open-minded to making moves, but they’re not actively looking for a wide receiver trade. This is what Jerry had to say this week. I think if you see them go get a wide receiver, it’s going to be the equivalent of Mike Williams, what they did last year. I don’t know uh that they’re actively pursuing it, but I can tell you they’re always looking. But I don’t think they’re ready to push any kind of button to say we need to get a second wide receiver, number two wide receiver, because you’re seeing what they’re doing with all their different tight ends. And listen, man, uh you know, just a little bit of a joke here. If Jerry’s pass is any indication where he has said something’s not going to happen and then it does happen is, you know, follow suit here, a wide receiver trade for the Pittsburgh Steelers is right around the corner. All right. So, if Jerry says it’s not happening, maybe something’s going to be happening here within the next 48 hours. But in all seriousness, I do think Jerry does make some sense here. All right? And I can’t believe I’m saying that, but you know, the Steelers do run a lot of heavy tight end personnel packages and they’re paying John Smith and Pat Footh a lot of money. They’re using Spencer Anderson a lot and their jumbo personnel looks. They’re using Darnell Washington a lot uh obviously because he is arguably one of the more uh valuable offensive pieces for this Steelers offense this season. And so they they are using these tight ends a lot and they want to get these guys the football and they want to get those guys um you know the usage that you know frankly hasn’t been there at points during the first six weeks of the season. So um you know I’m looking at you know all the 12 and 13 personnel looks and in those 12 and 13 personnel looks you have either two or one receiver on the field at a time. Okay. And whether you as a Steelers fan or I or anybody else likes it or not, the Pittsburgh Steelers do in fact like Calvin Austin the third and believe he is a legitimate wide receiver, too. All right. Uh I I I I think that that is the case and they have said it time and time and time again. They went into the season with him as their number two receiver for a reason. And you know, I think a lot of people see Calvin’s size and all these different things and and they think that he’s not a good player or that he is an underwhelming player or he’s a specialist. But like listen, man, people view Tank Dell as somebody at a very similar size, as a legitimate starting wide receiver, as a great route runner, as a vertical threat, all these different things. And in Pittsburgh’s eyes, I think Calvin uh is this team’s tank dell. All right? somebody that is severely undersized, but somebody that creates a lot of separation, somebody that brings a lot of speed to the table, and somebody that can win to all three levels of the field. And if you compare Tank Dell with Calvin Austin the third, you guys can see the comparison is very very similar. Okay, both of them are very uh are very uh small. Then they’ve got, you know, the weight there, very similar weight. Then the average uh throughout the course of their career in terms of uh yards per catch uh very similar there. Then yards per target right around the same range as well. And then they catch a very similar proportion of the passes thrown their way. All right. So these two players very similar caliber guys in my opinion. But whereas Tank Dell gets talked about like he’s a legitimate, you know, number two type receiver, elite route runner, all these different things. Calvin Austin the third gets pushed to the side as like a wide receiver three stock kind of speed threat uh punt return guy that’s not an actual starting wide receiver but like I think if you actually watch the film on Calvin Austin I the third over the last two seasons in particular you would see somebody that gets open a ton who’s got super quick feet who’s got an incredible ability to get open down the field and then also he makes tougher catches than he gives than he gets credit for as well man he’s made some tough catches for this team over the last two years despite his eyes and uh you know I think that he is this team’s number two wide receiver and the Steelers feel pretty confident in him as that number two receiving option. Then if you look at it from that perspective where there’s only really two starting wide receivers in this offense, Roman Wilson is kind of a younger option, somebody that can come in who’s shown some really good things on tape over the last two weeks with Calvin out of the lineup. You can make an argument that Roman is a pretty good first backup to this group. All right. Now, I think that it’s pretty reasonable uh to think that Pittsburgh could add a number three or number four caliber type of wide receiver just to add more depth here. Scotty Miller, when he’s been on the field this year, has done absolutely nothing. Okay. So, maybe they do want to add that fourth piece where if somebody gets injured, you still have a very solid trio that you can turn to and go to 11 personnel if you want, but like um you know, is it a a surefire bet that they’re going to go out and get a Jacobe Meyers or a Calvin Ridley or Chris Olive? Somebody that can be a leg a quote unquote legitimate wide receiver, too. Honestly, if I if you would ask me right now, I think the more likely scenario is they get a wide receiver three or wide receiver four caliber guy at a low price tag. Which is why I think the most likely target is Marquez Valdis Scan, right? He’s a Super Bowl champion. He still has his speed with him. He was on target for a pro-rated uh yardage there in New Orleans of over 800 yards. Like that is a wide receiver 2 uh kind of production right there. Still a legitimate deep threat. Can still track the ball in the air. um he has that chemistry with Aaron Rogers. Is MVS like a a gamechanging type of guy that’s going to, you know, put up a thousand yards here in Pittsburgh or, you know, be a long-term starter here? Probably not. But can he help the Steelers win a Super Bowl and not have to give up a draft pick in order to get him into uh the rotation? Uh I think that that’s going to be something that, you know, that is very appealing to the Pittsburgh Steelers, which is why if and when Marquez Valdes scan gets healthy, I think he’s probably the most likely target for the Pittsburgh Steelers. If you want to hear me talk about more when it comes to the fit between MVS and the Pittsburgh Steelers, why I think the Steelers will be interested in him this year, uh, we put out a video on it yesterday. I’ll put the chip to that one in the top right and the link to it in the comments and description of today’s show. So, predict it for me down there in the comments section. Will the Pittsburgh Steelers add a quote unquote legit wide receiver 2 before the trade deadline this year? Personally, um, you know, I don’t think it’s as surefire as some people think. Uh, but let me know what you guys think down there in the comments section. Give me a yes or a no for your prediction. Now, before I go here, I do have some final items that I want to discuss with you guys here on a Monday as we prepare uh for Packers week here in week eight. Uh, I want to start with the updated AFC North standings where the Steelers still sit in first place, but after that loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, it’s a lot closer uh than we than we were hoping for at this point. We were hoping that, you know, you take care of business against Cincinnati, you’re sitting at 5- one. The Bengals are sitting at two and five. Cleveland ended up winning their game versus Miami, so they’d be sitting at two and five, and then Baltimore would be sitting at 1 and5. And you have a three and a half game gap between you and the number two team in the division. But, um, you know, you look at the Pittsburgh Steelers, you know, they’re just, uh, you know, they’re just they’re just ahead of the Cincinnati Bengals at this point. Just a game and a half. Sorry, it says plus one. It’s a game and a half right now in front of Cincinnati. Um, but you know, with the Ravens being favored in their next several ball games, they got a pretty uh soft schedule over the next six games or so and the Pittsburgh Steelers schedule getting tougher and tougher as the season goes on. You know, that that that advantage that they have over Baltimore right now. And even Cincinnati, I mean, Cincinnati moved the ball quite well with Joe Flacco on Thursday. You know, it’s not it’s a little bit too close for comfort at this point is what I’d say. But uh we can move forward here with Justin Fields who was benched uh last week or on Sunday I should say in their game versus the Carolina Panthers. And you know outside of that week one game where he played actually pretty well against the Pittsburgh Steelers defense, he hasn’t been able to do anything with that New York Jets offense. And it certainly seems at least at this point uh that the Pittsburgh Steelers avoided a major bullet not bringing him back and paying him a large contract. All right. Like if they would have matched that New York Jets contract and they would have paid him 20 or more million dollars per season to come back and be this team starting quarterback and they would have been on the hook for 30 or more million dollars guaranteed over the course of that contract. I mean that would have been bad, man. Like that would have been a tough situation. The Jets are in a tough situation right now because their cap hit for Fields next off season is going to be uh pretty sizable if they move on from him, which they likely will. And now, you know, not even halfway into the season, he’s going to get benched probably in New York. And it’s just a tough situation for Justin. Um, you know, we we’re really rooting for him uh to, you know, go to New York and play well. And I was happy he played well against the Steelers, especially because the Steelers still beat him. But, you know, it’s just been a tough situation for uh Justin in New York. But hey, man, give the Pittsburgh Steelers organization credit. All right. They were panned by this fan base for pursuing Aaron Rodgers. And not only did they get Rogers for a far lower contract figure than Justin Fields, not only did the guarantees only extend to one year because it’s just a one-year contract instead of over multiple years like the Justin Fields one, but also Aaron Rogers has just been playing way better than Justin Fields. And you know, for the people saying, “Oh, the Jets are terrible.” Um, you know, of course Rogers is playing better here than Justin is in New York. Rogers is playing better right now in his first six games as a Steeler than Justin Fields did in his first six games as a Steeler last year. And it’s not even close. I mean, he Aaron Rogers is on pace to have, you know, 35 plus uh touchdown passes this year. Like, he has been absolutely phenomenal to start this year. Uh he’s been one of the most efficient red zone quarterbacks in the league. He’s got 10 uh downfield touchdown passes this year. So, that’s touchdown passes of 10 plus air yards. He is finding weaknesses in opposing defenses. He’s playing smart football. He’s getting the ball out in space to his playmakers, but he’s also not afraid to push the ball down the field like we saw in that game versus the Cincinnati Bengals. So, it’s without question at this point in a win now season, the Pittsburgh Steelers made the right call. Aaron Rodgers certainly would have given the Pittsburgh Steelers a better shot to win a Super Bowl this year. And uh you know, I think that the Pittsburgh Steelers certainly made the right call going with him. And speaking of Rogers, he’ll be playing his former team on Sunday Night Football this Sunday. Um it’s going to be a very exciting week getting ready uh for this matchup here and you know of course the Steelers are going to be wearing those rugbyesque you know uniforms with the with the matte gold helmets. It’s going to be a very interesting look for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Uh but there is a very good reason to hope that the Pittsburgh Steelers after just losing to the Cincinnati Bengals and Joe Flacco can come out with a victory versus the Packers at home. All right. Uh, and that reason is that coming off of a Thursday night loss uh, in the in the Mike Tomlin era, the Pittsburgh Steelers are seven-2 all time under the Tomlin era off of those kinds of losses. Plus, the Steelers are home. Plus, this team is going to be jacked up to try and get Aaron Rodgers a win versus uh, pro versus his former team and probably the only game he plays unless they meet up in the Super Bowl this year where he is playing the Green Bay Packers um, in his entire career. So, I’m sure Aaron wants to get this win almost just as bad as he wanted to win against the New York Jets, his former head coach. He’s going to be going up against the quarterback that they replaced him with. I mean, this is going to be a game that Aaron Rogers is going to be ultimately ultimately uh motivated. And uh when you give Mike Tomlin extra time to prepare for an opponent, usually the Steelers do very well. Whether it’s a by-week, whether it’s a mini bye-week, the Steelers are usually very, very good when they get extra time to prepare for an opponent. And because of that, I think the Steelers will be at the very least very competitive on Sunday night versus the Packers. Now, tomorrow, I’m going to have my week eight preview. It’s going to be coming out uh early on in the day. It’s going to be our first video before we go live uh for our first live show of the week, which will start at 5:00 p. p.m. Eastern time, by the way. But make sure you have uh your notifications turned on, you’ve clicked that subscribe button to never miss any of our videos. Of course, there’s going to be more trade speculation that comes out in the days and weeks to come. gonna have our preview, injury updates, all that stuff. And of course, it all culminates in our week eight watch party on Sunday Night Football coming up on Sunday night. So, make sure you guys click that subscribe button to never miss any of the extensive Steelers coverage we give to you guys right here on Steelers Talk.

Pittsburgh Steelers trade rumors are being kicked into high gear just 2 weeks away from the 2025 NFL trade deadline & the Steelers reportedly looking to add another receiving weapon to their arsenal as they prepare for a major push to win a championship this year with Aaron Rodgers leading the way. On today’s show, Steelers Talk host Jack Sperry shares his take on the latest Steelers trade buzz surrounding big names such as Calvin Ridley, Brandin Cooks, Tre Tucker, and more. Also on today’s show, Jack kicks off Week 8 with a recap of the AFC North standings heading into the week and provides a reason for Steelers fans to be optimistic heading into their Week 8 Sunday Night Football matchup vs. the Green Bay Packers.

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Calvin Ridley 2025 Stats (So Far):
– REC: 16
– YDS: 290
– AVG: 18.1
– LONG: 47
– TD: 0

Gerry Dulac (PPG) On Pittsburgh’s Trade Plans:
“I think if you see them go get a wide receiver, it’s it’s gonna be the equivalent of Mike Williams, what they did last year…I don’t know that they’re actively pursuing it, but I can tell you, they’re always looking.”

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Calvin Ridley Trade Idea:
– Pittsburgh Steelers Receive: Calvin Ridley (WR)
– Tennessee Titans Receive: 2026 3rd Round Pick

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Want more Steelers YouTube videos? We got you!:
– The Pittsburgh Steelers Have A BIG PROBLEM On Defense They MUST Fix (It’s Not What You Think It Is) https://youtu.be/sJ8nGF_I2IM
– Steelers Rumors: PIT’s Likely Answer At The WR Position REVEALED – Who It Is + Why Fans Will HATE It https://youtu.be/0MHcAn7ps8o
– Steelers Rumors: Stick With Will Howard Or DRAFT A QB In RD1 Next Year? + WR Trade Coming Soon? https://youtu.be/bUKrolLQdOw

AFC North Standings:
#1: Pittsburgh Steelers: 4-2 (+1.0)
#2: Cincinnati Bengals: 3-4
#3: Cleveland Browns: 2-5
#4: Baltimore Ravens: 1-5

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– Would you accept this Calvin Ridley trade? Type ‘A’ for Accept, or ‘D’ for Decline
– Will PIT add a ‘legit WR2’ before the deadline? Yes or No?

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