They’re trading guys now who’d otherwise walk in free agency. They want to get the QB first overall, so having good players now just hurts those odds. Liquidate, store your talent in picks, and then build quickly around the QB. It works if you can stomach betraying your fans by tanking.
No sure what PIT is thinking though.
Oh I get it but this is a 22-year old talented kid who Miami had affordable contractual control through 2022. I get tanking for a top QB, but this isn't the NBA, where one player (1/12th of your roster) can have a huge impact and you can sign 2 impact free agents to go with him. Even if Miami parlays this into Tua in 2020 or Lawrence in 2021, you have to find 52 other dudes to get that rebuild going. Think about what happened with David Carr and the expansion Texans. They ruined that guy.
They have 5 1st round picks in the next 2 years, so we'll all get to witness if this tanking works or not.
My guess is that Pittsburgh sees themselves as middle of the road team, with a chance to contend for a playoff spot, and that the 22-year old Fitzpatrick, with 4 years left on his rookie deal, is better than any player they are drafting mid-first round. Again, we'll see.