Steelers should sign Tate
The name that makes the most sense assuming Washington gets traded is Golden Tate. The former second-round pick is in decline like Fitzgerald is, but he is still a far more effective receiver. Once again, adding him means giving this group a veteran to look up to, and what he offers on the offense would further add to his value for the team.
Tate had a relatively quiet year with the Giants in the 12 games he played last year. That, along with his age, has kept him on the free-agent market for an extended amount of time. Mike Tomlin has complimented Tate in the past though, so if a hole on the roster was there, Tate would make sense to fill it. He can still run sharp routes, has good hands, and has far more athleticism than a name like Fitzgerald has at this point.
The two issues with Tate are this: he is slot limited and his contract may require more than the minimum. In terms of being a slot-only type of receiver, this isn’t the end of the world as he is a backup and can still give the team some flexibility with their other receivers. As for the price, if the team gave him a voidable year deal, they could keep his first-year cap hit low. If the Steelers move on from Washington, Tate should be the first name that the team calls and offers a deal to.
While it is still unknown if the team will ultimately trade Washington or not, it wouldn’t be a surprise given his diminished role with the Steelers. Assuming he is moved, any of these five veterans would make sense to replace him and help keep this receiving group deep.