While the Pittsburgh Steelers have been a consistent playoff team over the last few years, that’s been in spite of inconsistent quarterback play. They haven’t had high-quality play there since late in Ben Roethlisberger’s career. The Steelers have been unable to find his successor, and it doesn’t seem like that’s going to change this offseason. However, James Harrison has a proposal for the Steelers to find a solution, and it’s a doozy: give up a treasure chest of draft picks for Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.

“Hey Steelers, three [first-round picks] for anybody, they’re gone,” Harrison said Friday on his Deebo and Joe podcast. “They can’t turn that down…I’ll give you three firsts, a second, and a third…I’ve got the team, all I need is the quarterback. Joe Burrow, you see we’re number one, we’re building. We’re two-star Michelin.

“You want to make it three? Come on over here… You can’t turn that down. There’s too much there. You’ve gotta build something. Defense, they can’t stop a nosebleed over there. They’re in trouble. Let the man go, get you something for it, and start over.”

Harrison has been pitching the idea of Cincinnati sending Burrow to Pittsburgh for a while now. While the Bengals have underwhelmed in recent years, don’t expect them to move on from their franchise quarterback, especially by sending him to a division rival. Yes, Harrison’s proposal would be tough to turn down, but finding a quarterback of Burrow’s caliber might be even harder.

Also, executing a trade of that magnitude is easier said than done. Not many teams have parted with three first-round picks for an established player. It’s tough to sacrifice that much of the future for one player.

Cleveland Browns quarterback DeShaun Watson is the best example. The Browns sent the Houston Texans three first-round picks, as well as a third-round pick and two fourth-round picks for Watson. He had been one of the best up-and-coming signal callers in the league, but that move has proven to be a disaster for Cleveland.

Revisiting the Deshaun Watson trade:

**Texans received:**
– 2022 1st-round pick
– 2022 4th-round pick
– 2023 1st-round pick
– 2023 3rd-round pick
– 2024 1st-round pick
– 2024 4th-round pick

**Browns received:**
– Deshaun Watson
– 2024 6th-round pick

The… pic.twitter.com/i50WN5PwsG

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 10, 2025

Could things be different if the Steelers traded for Burrow? Maybe. The Watson deal felt bad from the start because he skipped the entire 2021 season. While Burrow hasn’t had that kind of attitude, he’s still missed a lot of time due to injuries, including nine games last year.

Adding Burrow would probably make the Steelers instant Super Bowl contenders. A quarterback of his caliber would help hide their other flaws.

However, the Bengals would be aware of that, too. They likely wouldn’t be able to stomach watching their franchise quarterback make their division rival one of the toughest teams in the league. The Bengals would have to go through the Steelers to get to a championship.

Even for such an insane amount of draft capital, they likely wouldn’t do that deal. There are plenty of other teams that would jump at the opportunity to acquire Burrow if the Bengals wanted to trade him. Another squad that isn’t in the AFC North would likely be willing to meet that price. The only way Burrow is going to the Steelers anytime soon is in a video game.