PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers were interested in trading for New England Patriots quarterback Joe Milton III before he was sent to the Dallas Cowboys in a day three pick swap on Thursday.

The Steelers were among number of teams that showed interest in Milton, according to a report by Jordan Schultz of FOX. The Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles also reportedly showed interest.

Milton was traded from the Patriots to the Cowboys in a swap that sent a fifth-round pick from Dallas to New England and a seventh-rounder back to New England.

According to Schultz, that was not the best offer on the table for Milton, who the Patriots drafted out of Tennessee in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. The Patriots traded him to Dallas Because that was Milton’s preferred destination. With the Cowboys, he will replace Cooper Rush as the top backup to veteran Dak Prescott.

Milton’s stock rose thanks to a solid Week 18 performance in the 2024 season, when he completed 22 of 29 passes for 241 yards and one touchdown in a game that was mostly competed against the reserves of the Buffalo Bills. New England won, 23-16, a victory that cost the Patriots the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

The Steelers expect to add two more quarterbacks to the mix before the start of the 2025 season, with one likely being free agent veteran Aaron Rodgers. The Steelers have also extensively scouted quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft class.

It’s unclear if the team only wanted Milton if they were unable to land Rodgers or if such a move would have precluded the team from drafting a quarterback this offseason. General manager Omar Khan said not to rule out a trade for a quarterback at the NFL owners meetings earlier this week.

“We kind of have a feel for what’s out there and what other teams are thinking,” Khan said. “Conversations happen here, they happen on the phone and at the combine. So we have an idea of what’s out there.”