The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t make a trade deadline deal. But apparently it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Per beat reporter Mark Kaboly, GM Omar Khan was a busy man up until 4 PM/EST Tuesday. Per Kaboly, the team made a strong push for WR Jakobi Meyers and also showed interest in the Miami Dolphins’ Jaylen Waddle.
Appearing on 93.7 The Fan Friday, Kaboly says Pittsburgh offered the same deal to the Las Vegas Raiders for Meyers as the Jacksonville Jaguars: 2026 fourth- and sixth-round draft picks. Meyers chose the Jaguars instead of going to the Steelers.
“You figure he’s going to go to Jacksonville where he’s probably the def facto one right now,” Kaboly told the show’s Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller regarding Meyer.
Pittsburgh was strongly connected to Meyers ahead of the trade deadline. Reporting before and after the deal indicated the Steelers had strong interest in landing Meyers. A big body with strong hands who could become a clear No. 2 in Pittsburgh’s offense. But a No. 2 receiver in Pittsburgh means less than being a No. 2 in Jacksonville. The Jaguars jumped into the market after losing rookie WR/CB Travis Hunter to a freak practice knee injury while Brian Thomas Jr. is nursing an ankle sprain that will keep him out at least through the weekend.
On the season, the Jaguars rank fourth in passing attempts while their receivers have caught 107 passes. The Steelers rank just 22nd in pass attempts with only 60 combined catches from its wide outs. DK Metcalf accounts for nearly half of those.
A free agent after the season, it’s no surprise to see Meyers land in a place where he would could maximize his offensive production. All while still going to a playoff contender like Jacksonville. The Jaguars sit at 5-3 and would be in the Wild Card round if the postseason began today.
Waddle was a much loftier target. Kaboly concedes a deal was unlikely to ever occur and guesses Pittsburgh’s offer wasn’t close to strong enough.
“If was a guessing man, I would say a three and a five,” Kaboly says of the Steelers’ likely offered compensation.
Kaboly noted interim general manager Champ Kelly may have been hesitant to make a blockbuster move. His willingness and even authority to make such a deal is fair to debate but even if he had the latitude, Pittsburgh offered that sort of trade package, a third and fifth, wouldn’t be nearly enough to entice a deal. Miami was reportedly looking for at least a first round pick, if not more, to even consider trading Waddle.
To the larger point, Kaboly makes clear Khan was his typical aggressive self.
“Omar wasn’t just sitting in his office eating bonbons,” he said.” There was things that were very, very far along that were out of his control. Out of the organization’s control.”
In theory, Pittsburgh could’ve upped the ante for Meyers and offered a third rounder. But that seemed to be a non-starter for the Steelers and rest of the league. A group only willing to trade Day Three capital, not Day Two, to improve. That’s what Meyers and WR Rashid Shaheed went for, sent from New Orleans to Seattle.
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