Preston Smith Traded to Steelers After Mike Williams Deal; Packers Get NFL Draft Pick

Scott Polacek@@ScottPolacekFeatured Columnist IVNovember 5, 2024

Ric Tapia/Getty Images

The Pittsburgh Steelers added a few new players to their roster ahead of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET NFL trade deadline.

After NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported the AFC North team acquired wide receiver Mike Williams from the New York Jets, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported the Steelers landed linebacker Preston Smith in a trade with the Green Bay Packers.

According to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, the Packers received a 2025 seventh-round draft pick in return.

The Packers confirmed the deal right at the 4 p.m. ET deadline:

Green Bay Packers @packersPackers have traded DL Preston Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 2025 seventh-round draft pick.

While the 6-3 Packers are in the middle of the NFC playoff race and don’t fit the traditional mold of deadline sellers, Smith turns 32 years old this month and has played just 54 percent of the available defensive snaps in nine games, per Pro Football Reference.

Moving him now allows Green Bay to elevate younger players as it makes its playoff push all while getting something in return.

He is also set to make $12 million in base salary in 2025 and again in 2026 on a contract that may not age particularly well, so the Packers were somewhat proactive with this trade.

As for the Steelers, they are adding another notable name to a defense that is second in the league in points allowed per game (14.9) and a major reason the team leads the AFC North at 6-2.

Smith may not be the same player he was at his peak with 2.5 sacks this season, but he is coming off three straight campaigns with at least eight sacks. He posted 48 tackles, eight sacks, four passes defended and two forced fumbles in 2023 and figures to provide veteran leadership for Pittsburgh in the stretch run.

He is also durable having appeared in at least 16 games every season since he was drafted in 2015 and is entering an ideal pass-rushing situation with the Steelers. After all, opposing offensive lines still have to account for T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward with double teams, which should open up blitzing lanes for Smith.

The result could be far more production than he had this season with the Packers.