When the Steelers traded up in the 2023 NFL Draft to take Georgia’s Broderick Jones, they did so to jump the Jets for the offensive tackle. Pittsburgh agreed to a deal with the Patriots that bumped them up two spots to get their man.
In the process, the Steelers became a conduit for another small chapter in the Jets-Patriots rivalry. New York was reportedly targeting Jones, and New England’s trade back ensured the Jets wouldn’t get their man.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin addressed the situation on The Rich Eisen Show, and he explained that he and the front office were just doing what’s best for Pittsburgh.
“There was a run on the position starting, I think, with Darnell Wright at about 10 and they were coming off pretty clean,” Tomlin said. “And we had that as a position of priority and we had Broderick, as an individual, as a priority. We knew with the acquisition of Aaron Rodgers, (the Jets) might be fishing in those waters. We did what we needed to do to get the player at a position we coveted.”
Tomlin was happy the team got their man, and he was even happier New England was willing to move back two spots. While the Steelers coach didn’t want to get in the middle of the Jets and Patriots rivalry, he implied that New England wasn’t a tough negotiator for that particular trade.
“I’m not gonna delve into the relationship between New England and the Jets. Let’s just say I’m glad we found a partner,” he said. “I’ll put it this way, there wasn’t a lot of hesitation on New England’s end.”
Ever since Bill Belichick became the coach of the Patriots, he has always been willing to do whatever it takes to screw the Jets over, and the latest instance just required the Steelers to play along.
