Sources: Steelers trade talks preliminary

Image by Jeffrey Beall via Flickr

By John Clayton
ESPN.com
Archive

Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers fielding phone calls from other teams about the availability of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger over the past couple of days, it is extremely unlikely a trade will occur, sources told ESPN.com on Thursday.

Multiple sources indicated the Steelers have not shopped Roethlisberger and have done nothing more than field phone calls. Many of the phone calls came during the course of normal conversations of teams just checking in with the Steelers to see whether they were willing to make other deals.

The conversations with other teams would be termed only preliminary, but with the draft starting Thursday night, there would not be time to put a deal together, and it's doubtful whether the Steelers would be willing to trade him at this stage.

An NFL source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter on Wednesday that the Steelers have begun contacting teams about trading a top-10 pick for Roethlisberger. The Steelers have called the Rams, 49ers, Raiders, Bills, Jaguars, Seahawks and Browns, according to the source, but another source told Schefter on Thursday that Pittsburgh did not initiate contact with any teams.

Roethlisberger was suspended for six games by commissioner Roger Goodell, but he has a chance to return after four games if he fulfills a checklist of obligations presented to him by the commissioner.

John Clayton is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.