The Green Bay Packers tried, but ultimately were unable to come to terms with pending free agent WR Romeo Doubs. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, he is now expected to hit the open market. The Pittsburgh Steelers could make a ton of sense for his next landing spot.
“Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs plans to hit the market. Talks with Green Bay did not result in a new deal,” Fowler wrote on ESPN Sunday morning. “He’ll have several suitors. The Patriots, Commanders and Titans are closely watching his market, along with the 49ers. Doubs is considered by some evaluators to be the best all-around receiver in the group.”
Fowler listed four teams linked to his market. The Steelers aren’t one of them. In fact, Fowler listed five of the top receivers in the free agent market and didn’t mention the Steelers once. Does that signal a lack of interest in the top names, or have they been keeping things close to the vest?
Omar Khan clearly stated they did not meet their goals at the receiver position, and Mike McCarthy’s offense calls for more talent in the room. They will almost certainly add a receiver in free agency as well as (potentially multiple) in the draft.
Doubs makes as much sense as any if they want to make a splash. A teammate with Aaron Rodgers during his rookie season in 2022, they have exchanged kind words and interest in playing together again in the past.
The fourth-year receiver had his best year in 2025 with 724 yards and six TDs on 55 receptions. He hasn’t quite had the breakout season that many have expected from him yet, but he was in a crowded group of eligible receivers in Green Bay among Matthew Golden, Jayden Reed, Christian Watson, Dontayvion Wicks, Luke Musgrave, and Tucker Kraft. He’d have much more of an opportunity to shine in Pittsburgh across from DK Metcalf.
With Alec Pierce expected to command upwards of $27 million per season as the top available free agent on the market, it’s fair to wonder if Doubs is priced out of Pittsburgh’s range. They have the cap space to make it happen technically, but they also have internal free agents and rookie contracts due for extension.
If Doubs really is being viewed as the best all-around option on the market and the Pierce deal comes first, his value could inflate beyond a comfortable range. Pittsburgh already has DK Metcalf on an exorbitant contract. Does it make sense to commit that much money to the position long term without a quarterback plan beyond this year?
On the flipside, locking up Doubs would almost certainly mean Rodgers returns for one final season. Not that they’d make the move because of that, but Pittsburgh has stated their goal of running it back with Rodgers multiple times this offseason.
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