As it turns out, the deal between the Bears and Ravens wasn’t the only 2011 first-round trade that didn’t happen.
Peter King of SI.com points in his new Monday Morning Quarterback column to comments over the weekend from Redskins owner Daniel Snyder regarding a deal with the Steelers that didn’t go down. Snyder told SiriusXM that the Redskins had a tentative deal in place to slide from No. 16 (after sliding down from No. 10) to No. 31 with the Steelers, who would have moved up into the teens. When the time came to do the deal, the Steelers opted not to proceed, presumably because the guy they were targeting was off the board.
Taken at No. 15? Mike Pouncey, identical twin brother of Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey.
Though it’s possible that the Steelers were eyeballing another player (King things it may have been Nick Fairley; J.J. Watt is a possibility as well), the pre-draft chatter had suggested that coach Mike Tomlin had given the front office an “edict” to move up for Mike Pouncey. Whether it was all aimed at creating the impression that the Steelers were trying to reunite the Pouncey twins in Pittsburgh, at a minimum a hollow effort apparently was made.
Snyder’s comments inadvertently call into question the true extent of the franchise’s love for eventual 16th overall pick Ryan Kerrigan. Then again, maybe Ryan should be flattered; he was their second choice after “pass.”
UPDATE: Redskins P.R. exec Tony Wyllie tells PFT that Snyder appeared on no SiriusXM radio show over the weekend, and that Snyder has not done any interviews since Super Bowl week. King’s premise was clear; “Washington owner Dan Snyder said on Sirius Radio over the weekend that the ‘Skins and Steelers had a deal in place for Washington to trade the 16th overall pick to Pittsburgh for the 31st pick plus other choices.” King tells us that he was relying on Jim Wexell of Steel City Insider’s report to that effect. Said Wexell in a May 14 tweet, “Dan Snyder said on Sirius Radio this week that the Redskins and Steelers had a draft day deal in place, but ‘the player was gone’ at pick 16.”