Unfortunately for the Pittsburgh Steelers, every team that has a disgruntled wide receiver seems to have shut down any potential trades that would give the Steelers a proven No. 2 option. The Jakobi Meyers situation has been shut down, the Romeo Doubs situation was shut down, and now the Steelers seem to be content with the options they have employed on their roster.
While Calvin Austin III showed some sparks last season and Roman Wilson came on strong during the preseason, both players are still young. Under normal circumstances, this probably wouldn’t be a huge deal. After all, the Steelers still want to develop their draft picks, rather than scouring the transaction wire for possible solutions.
But these aren’t normal circumstances. Aaron Rodgers is 41 years old, and the 2025 season might be the only one Pittsburgh gets out of him. Shouldn’t the Steelers try harder to make sure he has the best receiving options possible?
Rodgers needs more than one trusted target for Pittsburgh Steelers offense
As it stands, the Steelers have their No. 1 in DK Metcalf, which is exciting on the surface, but in reality, a lack of an opposite threat will allow teams to hone in on Metcalf, trying to shut him down, forcing Rodgers to look elsewhere.
That next option will likely be Jonnu Smith as a slot tight end. He had 88 catches on 111 targets last season, so he’s certainly viable in that role. Still, his yards per reception last year, 10, was equal to Pat Freiermuth. He’ll help the Steelers dink and dunk just like Freiemuth can, but in a different method. That doesn’t exactly open up the possibilities for Rodgers, though.
Circling back to Austin and Wilson, it’s not yet clear which receiver will be the “starter” as the WR2. Wilson’s efforts in the preseason were commendable, but Austin was out with an injury. Austin is heading into his fourth NFL season, and last year, he was open a lot more often than his target share would indicate.
Still, getting open doesn’t always ensure productivity, even if Rodgers will likely feed him more targets than Justin Fields and Russell Wilson did.
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Regardless, if the Steelers’ offense is going to open up its passing game in 2025, they need another proven wideout to help balance things out on the outside. If Austin or Wilson shine early, then teams will have to pull some focus off of Metcalf, sure, but are they ready to take the next step to beat coverage that is designed to slow them down?
Austin and Wilson seem to have bright futures in Pittsburgh, but the Steelers placed a ton of pressure on themselves by selling out with splash moves to make the most of one season with Rodgers. He needs all the help he can get to make those efforts pay off.
If that means giving the Raiders an offer they can’t refuse for Meyers, or the Packers with Doubs, then Omar Khan might need to concede that he can’t win every trade in the short term by playing money games at the bargaining table.
Of course, that doesn't mean the team should settle for another promising receiver like Alec Pierce in Indianapolis. It means Khan should be aggressive on the phones to make sure his quarterback has more than enough ammunition to get this team past the first round of the postseason.
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