D.K. Metcalf, Christian Kirk, Darius Slayton, Brandon Aiyuk (not again!) and others emerge was potential targets for Pittsburgh.
Steelers GM Omar Khan’s greatest failure of the 2024 season was Pittsburgh never landing a legitimate WR2 opposite George Pickens. However, a busy day of roster moves around the NFL on Wednesday means Pittsburgh has a good shot at correcting that mistake in 2025.
Perhaps the biggest wide receiver news from the day is that the Seahawks’ D.K. Metcalf is requesting a trade, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Seahawks WR DK Metcalf has requested a trade, per source. The request came today after a series of conversations over the past two weeks. Metcalf prefers a contender.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 5, 2025
Metcalf, a big, fast boundary wide receiver who has put up 900-plus yards in every NFL season, could draw a big market.
The same day, Seattle released longtime receiver Tyler Lockett, who is clearly nearing the end of his career but still posted 600 yards in 2024. If the Steelers end up re-signing quarterback Russell Wilson, Lockett could be a likely target even if he wouldn’t transform the Pittsburgh wide receiver room.
Another receiver who became available is the Jaguars’ Christian Kirk, who Schefter reported will be released by Jacksonville.
Kirk was rumored to be the Steelers’ preferred target at the trade deadline last year, but a season-ending collarbone injury resulted in the team pivoting to Mike Williams. Kirk recorded 1,895 yards from 2022-23 with the Jaguars, with outside/inside versatility even though he’s primarily known as a slot weapon.
And those are just the moves on Wednesday. The Steelers have a number of other receiver options available.
The Jets released Davante Adams on Tuesday, who is in the back half of his career but is still a consensus WR1. Adams has been opinionated on who he wants his quarterback to be over the last several years, but he’s expressed interest in playing for Mike Tomlin.
San-Francisco wideout Brandon Aiyuk, who the Steelers were constantly linked to last offseason, is also once again the subject of trade rumors. Aiyuk suffered a torn ACL and MCL early last season, but he will only be turning 27 in March and has a manageable cap hit in 2025 and 2026 with a WR1 profile.
Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp, while in the twilight of his career and injury-prone, also remains available via trade with Los Angeles making it very clear they want to move him this offseason.
Les Snead said the Rams are looking to find a trade partner for Cooper Kupp and while he didn’t rule out the receiver staying, he said that’s the “least likely” option. Sean McVay said on Monday that the Rams had not had conversations with Kupp about restructuring his deal.
— Sarah Barshop (@sarahbarshop) March 5, 2025
Courtland Sutton could be another name to watch even if the trade buzz isn’t quite as loud as the other names in this article.
Then there’s the rest of the 2025 free agent wide receiver class, including names such as Amari Cooper, DeAndre Hopkins, Marquise Brown, and Joshua Palmer, among others. Darius Slayton is also likely to hit the open market, with the Giants wide receiver making it sound like he’s ready to move on from New York this week. He was another name often linked to the Steelers at the trade deadline in 2024, as well as ahead of this year’s free agent period.
While the Steelers will also have quality wide receiver options available in the draft, the team will have many opportunities to address that roster need ahead of April 24.
With the legal tampering period opening on Monday, March 10, the Steelers could also look to finalize their quarterback situation by signing one of Justin Fields/Russell Wilson before courting wide receiver options on the open market. Make sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news.
Which wide receiver option would you most like the Steelers to pursue in 2025? Which option seems the most likely? Let us know in the comments below!