Since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been in search of a true QB1. While names like Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, and, most recently, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields have been floated and tested, none could secure a firm grip on the position.
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So, when a rumor surfaced back in February that the club had inquired about trading for Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence, it naturally set NFL corners buzzing.
The report came out of the blue via Big Ten Network’s Ryan Burr, suggesting that Pittsburgh had not only shown interest but might’ve even floated an offer for the former No. 1 overall pick. This news, however, didn’t create noise for long, as it was quickly discredited by established reporters like ESPN’s Michael DiRocco, who stated plainly that there was “no chance” Jacksonville was moving their QB.
Moreover, Lawrence himself confirmed the same in his appearance on the Up & Adams show. He brushed the reports off by revealing he has a no-trade clause and had no interest in leaving Jacksonville.
While it was unsurprising that the Jaguars were clear about Lawrence’s future with them, what lacked clarity was whether the Steelers really made an offer or not.
Luckily for us, months later, Jaguars Executive Vice President Tony Boselli has finally addressed the topic without mincing words. According to Boselli, not only was the report untrue, but it was also borderline laughable.
“It was funny,” he said, “someone sent me [the rumor] at the expo… and I said, ‘Well, I know this — we didn’t hire James [Gladstone] yet, right?’ No GM… Liam [Coen] and I were working closely; he was really focused on building the staff and everything else.”
Boselli’s response made clear there wasn’t even a full front office structure in place at the time for a trade of that magnitude to be considered. “And they said, ‘Is this true?’ I said, ‘Well, there’s no one to call here probably but me at this point. And no one’s called me,’” Boselli added.
And just in case there was any ambiguity, the Jaguars EVP shut the door on any talk of sending Lawrence elsewhere: “We’re not doing anything with Trevor Lawrence. He’s our franchise quarterback.”
Tony Boselli on this fake report from February about the possibility of a Trevor Lawrence trade to the Steelers.
(via @_DavidRumsey) https://t.co/Cq5oM8MU9L pic.twitter.com/XpN13XmHVH
— Nash Henry (@NashJagsNats22) May 31, 2025
If that wasn’t enough, the former offensive tackle turned front-office leader doubled down on his team’s commitment to their QB:
“We’ve invested a lot in Trevor, we believe in Trevor. We believe he is our franchise quarterback. We believe his best days are ahead of him, that he is an ascending player, and he’s only going to get better.”
That belief, according to Boselli, isn’t just internal. “Our confidence — and I think Shad’s [Owner Shahid Khan] too — our confidence and investment we’ve made is because we believe Trevor Lawrence is going to help us win.”
So, in short, there was never a conversation between the two teams. Not internally, not externally.
And as it turned out, the Steelers gained clarity on Aaron Rodgers’ tenure with the Jets around that time, which quickly helped them establish their QB1 target for this year.
While it’s a different conversation that Tomlin & Co. have still not managed to get Rodgers signed along the dotted line, but as far as the Jaguars are concerned, their foundation is firmly set — and his name is Trevor Lawrence.
