Indianapolis Colts–Pittsburgh Steelers Trade History

Baltimore sent Charlie Shepard to Pittsburgh in 1956 and received the Steelers’ 1957 16th-round pick, No. 185, which became Joe Cannavino. Shepard played all 12 games for Pittsburgh that season and contributed as a runner, receiver, and punter. Cannavino never played a regular-season game for the Colts, so the Steelers won a low-stakes exchange through immediate usable production.

Baltimore traded running back Dick Young to Pittsburgh for a 1958 seventh-round selection and used the pick on defensive back Johnny Sample. Young played only the 1957 season for the Steelers. Sample became part of both Colts championship teams, scored on a 42-yard interception return in the 1959 title game, and later built an 11-year professional career with 41 interceptions.

Baltimore converted aging veteran Bert Rechichar into Pittsburgh’s 1961 fifth-round selection and used No. 62 on Auburn’s Ed Dyas. The pick carried developmental upside, but Dyas never appeared in an NFL regular-season game. Rechichar’s Steelers tenure was also short—six games and three starts in 1960—so this was a low-value exchange overall. Pittsburgh’s limited on-field service is enough to give the Steelers the edge.

Baltimore acquired defensive lineman Billy Ray Smith Sr. from Pittsburgh for defensive back Jackie Simpson on January 25, 1961. Smith became a long-term Colts mainstay, appearing in 124 regular-season games for Baltimore and starting 75, with a career that extended through the Super Bowl V championship season. Simpson gave Pittsburgh 21 games and five starts across two seasons. The longevity gap makes Baltimore the decisive winner.

Indianapolis Colts received Jimmy Orr, Joe DeLucis, and Dick Campbell in the 1961-07-20 exchange with Pittsburgh Steelers. Jimmy Orr became a long-term Baltimore receiving contributor, while Joe DeLucis and Dick Campbell added package depth. The direct package, rather than later movement of any acquired asset, is the basis for the hindsight judgment. Against what Indianapolis Colts surrendered, the result supports Even Trade.

The legacy record lists Baltimore Colts receiving 1962 high draft pick (selection not identified) and Pittsburgh Steelers receiving John Sample / Johnny Sample, but part of that date, identity, or downstream attribution remains disputed in the surviving historical record. Johnny Sample clearly played for Pittsburgh beginning in 1961, while the Colts historical ledger associates his move with the 1963 second-round choice used on Butch Wilson. Surviving sources conflict sharply on the transaction date and therefore on the timing of that compensation. This verdict preserves the real player and

Baltimore traded defensive back Johnny Sample to Pittsburgh for the future second-round choice that became No. 24 overall in 1963, Butch Wilson. Sample immediately started all 14 games for the Steelers in 1961 and intercepted eight passes, then started six more games in 1962. Wilson gave Baltimore five seasons of role-player service, but Pittsburgh received the more impactful peak return.

Baltimore acquired kicker-defensive end Lou Michaels and Pittsburgh's 1965 third-round pick for linebacker Bill Saul and defensive back Marv Woodson. Player transaction records place the completed trade on September 8, 1964, after Michaels missed Pittsburgh's final preseason game. Michaels became Baltimore's kicker for six seasons and the draft choice became Glenn Ressler, while Saul developed into a useful Steelers starter. The Colts received the stronger combined return.

Pittsburgh acquired linebacker John Campbell from Baltimore on September 29, 1965, for veteran center Buzz Nutter. Campbell immediately started all 14 games for the Steelers and remained a substantial starter through 1968, while Nutter played 13 games with six starts in his final NFL season. The longevity gap gives Pittsburgh the stronger return from a straightforward veteran swap.

Baltimore sent Jim Carter to Pittsburgh and received the 1967 twelfth-round choice that became No. 298 Preston Pearson. Pearson played three seasons for the Colts before continuing a long 176-game NFL career, giving Baltimore meaningful value from an extremely late selection. Carter did not provide Pittsburgh with a comparable lasting return, so the Colts converted modest draft compensation into the stronger outcome.

Pittsburgh acquired Bob Wade from Baltimore for Ed Brown, with a later condition adding a 1969 draft pick if Wade made the Steelers roster. Wade appeared in all 14 games and started 11 in 1968, so the condition was met, although the exact resulting selection remains unidentified. With useful but limited returns on both sides, the exchange stays an even C/C trade.

Baltimore moved Bob Wade to Pittsburgh with compensation conditioned on whether Wade made the Steelers roster. The surviving transaction record confirms the conditional 1969 draft consideration but does not securely identify a downstream selection that can be credited to the Colts. Without a documented pick outcome or a major player return, Baltimore's side remains modest and uncertain.

John Campbell moved from Pittsburgh to Baltimore on November 1, 1969, with historical transaction listings showing cash going to the Steelers while noting the move may have operated through waivers. Campbell gave the Colts usable roster depth, whereas Pittsburgh's visible return ended with the cash consideration. Baltimore therefore earns a narrow win with appropriately cautious confidence.

Baltimore sent Preston Pearson and Ocie Austin to Pittsburgh for linebacker Ray May and the 1971 twelfth-round pick later used on Bob Wuensch. May gave the Colts veteran depth and the pick added another roster opportunity, but neither return matched Pearson's later value. Pearson became a starting back, returner and versatile offensive piece during Pittsburgh's rise into a championship club.

Pittsburgh sent star receiver Roy Jefferson to Baltimore for Willie Richardson and a 1971 fourth-round pick. Richardson never played a regular-season game for the Steelers and was soon moved again, but the fourth-rounder became Dwight White, a founding member of the Steel Curtain and four-time Super Bowl champion. Jefferson helped Baltimore win Super Bowl V, so the Colts received real championship value even though Pittsburgh won the longer arc.

Baltimore acquired linebacker Marty Schottenheimer from Pittsburgh on August 27, 1971 for a conditional 1972 tenth-round draft choice. The Colts' official trade history marks the choice with the notation for a transaction canceled by an unmet condition. Schottenheimer never appeared in a regular-season game for Baltimore, so the Colts received only preseason roster rights while retaining the conditional pick.

Baltimore acquired the NFL rights to tackle Ed George from Pittsburgh for 1976 second- and fourth-round selections. George gave the Colts 12 games and two starts in 1975, so Baltimore received real short-term help. Pittsburgh used the premium pick on quarterback Mike Kruczek, who went 6-0 as a rookie starter, making the Steelers’ return stronger overall.

Indianapolis acquired linebacker Zack Valentine from Pittsburgh on August 31, 1982 for a conditional 1983 twelfth-round pick. Pittsburgh's own historical trade record states that the condition was not met, so no selection was exercised. The Colts therefore obtained Valentine without ultimately surrendering draft capital, while the Steelers created only a contingent chance of receiving a late pick.

The May 25, 1988 entry reflects the reversal of Indianapolis' earlier deal for Ken Woodard. The Colts had agreed to send Pittsburgh a conditional 1989 twelfth-round pick, but Woodard failed his physical and the transaction was negated. Woodard returned to the Steelers and the conditional pick was never exercised, leaving neither franchise with meaningful lasting value from the aborted exchange.

Pittsburgh moved from No. 49 to No. 44 in the 1993 second round, sending Indianapolis No. 49 and No. 107. The Steelers selected linebacker Chad Brown, who became a first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowler in Pittsburgh. Indianapolis landed running back Roosevelt Potts and linebacker Devon McDonald, both useful players. The Colts received real value, but Brown's peak and impact make Pittsburgh the clear winner.

Pittsburgh sent linebacker Steve Conley to Indianapolis on August 30, 1998 and received the Colts' 1999 fifth-round pick. The selection became No. 136, Jerame Tuman. Indianapolis obtained immediate linebacker depth, while Pittsburgh turned Conley into a draft asset that produced a long-term tight end for the Steelers. That lasting return gives Pittsburgh the better side of an otherwise modest transaction.

Pittsburgh traded up from No. 44 to No. 38 in the 2004 second round for cornerback Ricardo Colclough, sending Indianapolis the 44th and 107th picks. The Colts used No. 44 on Bob Sanders, who became a first-team All-Pro and the 2007 AP Defensive Player of the Year, while Kendyll Pope added depth from the fourth-round pick. Colclough never became a comparable starter, making Indianapolis the overwhelming winner.

Indianapolis traded Michael Pittman Jr. and the No. 230 pick to Pittsburgh for No. 214. The Colts used No. 214 on Ohio State edge defender Caden Curry, who made the regular-season roster and appeared in each of Indianapolis' first three games.

Pittsburgh acquired Michael Pittman Jr. and the No. 230 selection for the No. 214 pick, moving back only sixteen draft slots to add a proven starting receiver. Indianapolis gained a modest upgrade in draft position and moved on from a veteran entering a new roster phase. The low acquisition cost gives Pittsburgh the early edge before Pittman has played a regular-season game for the Steelers.

Pittsburgh moved from No. 53 to No. 47 in the 2026 second round and selected receiver Germie Bernard, also receiving pick No. 249. Indianapolis received Nos. 53, 135 and 237, using them on CJ Allen, Bryce Boettcher and Seth McGowan. The Steelers paid two later selections to secure their preferred receiver, while the Colts added volume without leaving the second round; that balance supports an Even Trade and C grades.