Mike Tomlin reveals why Steelers didn't make major trade
He's laying out the reason.
The Football Feed
The Pittsburgh Steelers decided to part ways with Chase Claypool prior to the 2023 NFL Draft, sending him to the Chicago Bears in exchange for the 32nd overall selection.
And it was thought that they may consider trading the pick considering the interest that general manager Omar Khan and assistant general manager Andy Weidl received, they elected to stay put and take Joey Porter Jr. with the selection.
So why did they not make the move? They already had their man in sight, according to head coach Mike Tomlin.
“We were open to doing business, particularly if someone was interested in doing some drastic business if someone really wanted that pick,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said on the May 18 episode of the Rich Eisen Show. “We just didn’t get enough action to stimulate us. There was a guy there that we were very familiar with that we thought was definitely worthy of that pick. We probably would have been comfortable with him much earlier than that. There was a position of need for us and so it was going to take a significant maneuver by someone to get us off the spot but we were open. It’s just prudent business to be open.”
For Porter Jr., he was visibly unhappy after not being selected in Round 1 of the Draft and was encouraged by his father Joey Porter Sr. to use that as motivation.
“There’s nothing like motivation, right,” Porter Sr. said. “They want to see a pissed-off football player, now they got one. You see what I’m saying? So now, follow me when I say, when I be giving you little nuggets about what we gotta do and how we gotta work. Just follow me because this will be part of the whole motivation now. You know where you were supposed to have went and all that. We ain’t got control over that. That’s why I was trying to prepare you for anything, ’cause I already know anything can happen.”
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