Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager, Omar Khan was not messing around when it came to his first time leading the team during the 2023 NFL Draft. Many are labeling the organization as the one with the best draft classes, including Pete Prisco of CBS Sports. The franchise addressed key needs on both sides of the ball and looks to be on the rise not just in the AFC North, but AFC as a whole. Time will tell who turns out to be the best selection, but the early going makes it hard to not love the trade up to draft offensive lineman, Broderick Jones.
Former Georgia and now Steelers offensive lineman, Broderick Jones moves around on the field during a college game. | Photo Credit: Joe Robbins / Icon Sportswire / Getty Images
There has been a lot of talk of New England Patriots' Head Coach, Bill Belichick purposefully working with Pittsburgh to move the 14th overall pick in order to keep Jones away from one of his division rivals, the New York Jets. Though he will never admit it, it's hard to disagree with the theory that Belichick didn't have this in mind early in the first round.
One of the things that hasn't been touched on enough, however, is why the Jets are completely at fault for this in the first place. The franchise traded for legendary Green Bay Packers quarterback, Aaron Rodgers (who has contemplated retirement the past two offseasons) for a haul including the 13th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
New York ended up selecting defensive end, Will McDonald IV, with the 15th overall selection they received from the Packers. If the Steelers hadn't jumped ahead of the Jets to get to #14, there's almost no way to imagine New York not taking Jones. The Jets ended up drafting two offensive linemen, a center and a tackle, with their next two picks in the second and fourth rounds.
Aaron Rodgers is introduced as a new member of the New York Jets after being acquired from his long-time franchise, the Green Bay Packers. | Photo Credit: Elsa Garrison / Getty Images
Sure, New York addressed an unstable quarterback situation, but in what was a simple move to drop down two spots in the draft could have cost them a guy who turns out to be one of the best offensive tackles in all of football. The sheer obsession over Rodgers, that the team had made publicly know prior to the trade, was one of the best things that happened to the Steelers all offseason.
Any other left tackle at #17 would have been a reach if the Rodgers deal never materialized and the Jets took Jones at #13. Pittsburgh would have found themselves in a difficult spot as far as the offensive line goes and may have ended up taking a cornerback instead. Rodgers being traded is the main reason that the Steelers landed Jones.
Rodgers can still play, but at 39 years old, any year could end up being his last if he decided to retire. This all may seem insignificant if he plays several more years or helps New York to win a Super Bowl, but the Jets were pretty much the only team linked to the future Hall of Fame signal-caller and had no option other than to trade for him.
Former Georgia offensive lineman, Broderick Jones gets ready to walk out of the tunnel for the 2022 College Football National Championship. | Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today
Steelers Can Thank The Jets' Desperation For Jones
Overall, the underwhelming quarterback situation that was apparent in New York when the 2023 offseason started, in a way, led to Pittsburgh landing their left tackle of the future. Kenny Pickett will have a monster on the outside protecting his blindside and without a Rodgers trade to New York transpiring, the Steelers' draft may have not gone as well as everyone is currently saying it did.
Do you think Jones would be a Jet if the Packers never agreed to trade Rodgers? Let us know in the comments below!
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