While the Pittsburgh Steelers were sitting on their thumbs at the NFL trade deadline, the rest of the AFC playoff picture supercharged their teams with blockbuster deals and acquisitions for high-profile players.
The Steelers may have chosen the quiet path at the trade deadline, but the same can't be said for the rest of the AFC playoff hopefuls, as the Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos, and Kansas City Chiefs pulled off huge moves before the 4:00 p.m. ET cutoff.
Arguably the biggest moves were made by Jacksonville, as the Jaguars traded a 2027 first-round pick and a 2029 second-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for defensive tackle Jordan Davis, as well as a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick to the Atlanta
Falcons for All-Pro safety Jessie Bates. The Jags also sent a conditional 2028 sixth-round pick to the New Orleans Saints for defensive tackle Davon Godchaux.
The Bills come up next, as Buffalo traded a 2027 second-round pick to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for standout safety Amani Hooker and a fifth-round pick.
Unfortunately for the Steelers, the most brutal of these AFC trades belongs to the Chiefs, as they stole a potential wide receiver trade target from Pittsburgh in Josh Downs. The Chiefs sent a 2027 fourth-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for Downs and a 2027 seventh-round pick.
The Broncos, another AFC playoff competitor, pulled off a trade with the Los Angeles Chargers, sending a 2027 fourth-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick to the Bolts in exchange for linebacker Daiyan Henley.
It was shocking, to say the least, that the 6-2 Steelers, just one game back from the No. 1 seed in the AFC conference, failed to pull off even one minor acquisition at the trade deadline. This may come back to bite the team in the coming weeks when their schedule begins to pick up in difficulty, but here's to hoping general manager Omar Khan knew what he was doing.
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This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers watch AFC contenders make blockbuster moves at NFL trade deadline
