New York Giants–Pittsburgh Steelers Trade History

Pittsburgh acquired the rights to Ted Doyle from the New York Giants on April 10, 1938, with New York receiving the rights to Hugh Wolfe. Doyle went on to spend most of his NFL career with Pittsburgh-related clubs, while Wolfe played for the Giants in 1938 and was part of their championship season. The existing C grade reflects modest value.

Pittsburgh acquired Phil King from New York on August 24, 1964. Contemporary and team records identify the Giants' return as Pittsburgh's 1965 third-round choice, No. 31 overall, which New York used on fullback Chuck Mercein. King played only eight games for the Steelers, rushing 26 times for 71 yards and one touchdown while adding four catches for 32 yards and another score. He moved on after the season, making Pittsburgh's return brief.

Pittsburgh acquired rookie punter Frank Lambert from the New York Giants on September 1, 1965 for an undisclosed draft choice. Lambert immediately became Pittsburgh's punter and appeared in all 14 regular-season games in both 1965 and 1966. The exact Giants draft return is not identified in the reviewed public record, so no downstream selection is assigned.

New York acquired defensive tackle Frank Parker from Pittsburgh on September 16, 1969 for a 1970 fourth-round pick. Parker started all eight games he played for the Giants before his December release, giving New York a short but real stretch of defensive-line value.

Pittsburgh acquired linebacker Henry Davis and running back John "Frenchy" Fuqua from New York for quarterback Dick Shiner on April 30, 1970. Davis became Pittsburgh's starting middle linebacker in 1972-73 and earned a Pro Bowl selection, while Fuqua immediately led the Steelers in rushing in 1970 and 1971 and remained part of the offense through the club's rise into contention.

Pittsburgh traded guard Larry Gagner to New York on July 31, 1971 for two 1972 draft choices: the Giants' fourth-round pick, No. 80 Lorenzo Brinkley, and seventh-round pick, No. 159 Joe Colquitt. Neither Brinkley nor Colquitt appeared in an NFL regular-season game, so the Steelers realized no on-field production from either selection despite receiving two draft assets.

New York acquired rookie running back Doug Kotar from Pittsburgh on July 24, 1974 in a straight player-for-player trade for quarterback Leo Gasienica. Kotar became a seven-season Giants contributor, appearing in 90 games with 61 starts and producing 3,380 rushing yards, 1,022 receiving yards and 21 total offensive touchdowns.

New York acquired veteran tackle Gordon Gravelle from Pittsburgh for a future second-round pick that became No. 35 Bob Kohrs in 1980. Gravelle started every game for the Giants in both 1977 and 1978, giving New York 30 immediate starts across those two seasons. Kohrs became a useful NFL linebacker, but the Giants received the stronger direct return.

The Giants acquired center Jim Clack and wide receiver Ernie Pough from Pittsburgh on April 17, 1978 for tackle John Hicks. Clack immediately became New York's starting center and started 48 consecutive games over the next three seasons.

New York moved down from No. 25 to No. 32 in the 2006 first round and added third- and fourth-round selections, turning the package into Mathias Kiwanuka, Gerris Wilkinson and Guy Whimper. Kiwanuka became the centerpiece, spending nine seasons with the Giants, playing 120 games and recording 38.5 sacks while contributing to both Super Bowl championship eras.

Pittsburgh moved from No. 32 to No. 25 in the 2006 first round and selected Santonio Holmes, sending the Giants No. 32 plus picks 96 and 129. Holmes became a productive Steelers receiver and the MVP of Super Bowl XLIII. New York still converted the return into Mathias Kiwanuka, Gerris Wilkinson and Guy Whimper, giving the Giants useful depth and a long-term defensive contributor.

New York moved up seven spots in the fourth round on April 27, 2008, sending Pittsburgh picks No. 130 and No. 194 for No. 123. The Giants selected BYU linebacker Bryan Kehl. He played 31 regular-season games with three starts for New York from 2008 through the 2010 opener, recording 43 combined tackles, one sack, one interception and one pass defended before the Giants waived him. The trade-up produced useful depth and special-teams work, but no lasting starting role.

Pittsburgh moved down seven spots in the fourth round of the 2008 draft, sending No. 123 to the Giants and receiving Nos. 130 and 194. Pittsburgh used those selections on tackle Tony Hills and safety Ryan Mundy, while New York drafted linebacker Bryan Kehl. None became a franchise-level player, leaving the exchange close to even in hindsight.

New York Giants received Brad Wing in the 2015-09-04 exchange with Pittsburgh Steelers. Wing handled New York's punting job for three seasons and 48 games, giving the Giants stable specialist value. That gives New York Giants the stronger overall return. The transaction still produced a concrete basis for the hindsight grade.

New York acquired Ross Cockrell for a 2018 seventh-round pick and immediately received starting-caliber cornerback play. Cockrell appeared in all 16 games, started nine, intercepted three passes, and broke up 11 in 2017. Pittsburgh later packaged the No. 220 pick with No. 79 to move up to No. 76, where it drafted Mason Rudolph. The pick had real trade-up utility, but Rudolph's entire career cannot be credited solely to that seventh-rounder, leaving the Giants with the clearer direct return.