On Friday, just before the news broke of JuJu Smith-Schuster re-signing with the Steelers, it was reported the team has given cornerback Steve Nelson permission to seek a trade. The news came as a bit of a shock to many Steelers fans, but with the news of Smith-Schuster returning, the Nelson situation could have sent a number of frustrated Steelers’ fans into an nonreturnable spiral of despair.
So what exactly happened to where the Steelers were willing to let their starting cornerback find his way out of town? While there have yet to be reports with any specifics, there are a number of possibilities which could have set this course of action into motion.