PITReceived
Pittsburgh Steelers
PJerome Bettis
#1996 third-round pick
Career reclamation · April 20, 1996
The trade that made Jerome Bettis a Pittsburgh icon
Pittsburgh acquired Jerome Bettis and a third-round pick from St. Louis for second- and fourth-round selections.
See where this happened in the 1996 offseason →The original receipt
Every asset in the deal
The arrows show what each team received—not which direction a player left.
STLReceived
St. Louis Rams
#1996 second-round pick
#1997 fourth-round pick
Why it happened
The bet each side made
The Rams had shifted away from Bettis after only three seasons. Pittsburgh saw the power runner capable of restoring the identity lost when Franco Harris departed.
Why history remembers it
Bettis rushed for more than 10,000 yards as a Steeler, became the face of the franchise and retired immediately after winning Super Bowl XL in his hometown.
The family tree
Where the picks and rights went
Selections, swaps and later trades are traced separately so a downstream player is not mistaken for a direct one-for-one return.
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Pittsburgh player return · modified
Jerome Bettis
The former Offensive Rookie of the Year immediately became the Steelers' feature back and remained for 10 seasons.
What changed
The consequences
- Bettis made four Pro Bowls as a Steeler.
- He retired fifth on the NFL's career rushing list.
- His final game was Pittsburgh's Super Bowl XL victory in Detroit.
Principal profiles