There was a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Steelers receiver room this year. While George Pickens was expected to take a major leap, the team decided to leave the rest of the room up in the air. Calvin Austin was a middling player and the rest of the room was filled out with low-level veterans on minimum deals.
This offseason has similar questions. The main one surrounds Pickens and if the team decides to give him a new contract. If they don’t, they will have to trade him, as I can’t imagine he will play here on an expiring contract. With all of that said, here are the five different routes that the team can take at receiver in 2025.
5. Steelers trade Pickens, go all in on rookies
I almost excluded this option, as I see it as the most distant option and almost a non-option. That said, based on the team’s preference to target rookies over veterans at receiver, I decided to include them. In this scenario, the Steelers trade Pickens, a clear possibility if they feel like they can’t risk giving him a mega-deal, and the only replacements are those under contract and rookies.
In this scenario, the main addition would have to come in the first round of the draft, and the team would possibly even have to trade up with some of the resources they got for Pickens in order to land a viable starting receiver. A double dip with another day-two pick would also be necessary. Add in Austin and Roman Wilson and the hope is that one or two of those options shine. The Titans tried this when they traded A.J. Brown a few years ago, but it failed horribly. I doubt Pittsburgh will try this route in the offseason.
4. Steelers extend Pickens, add a pricy veteran
The team could take an upgraded version of last year's approach and actually add a more significant receiver to the room via free agency while also giving Pickens the big deal that he desires. Adding a viable second receiver in free agency keeps the draft open for other needs and, ideally, gives the team an instant impact player.
On paper, this is perfect, but a hot receiver market has left teams with fewer cheap second options to go with. Considering you are paying Pickens top dollar in this scenario, you aren’t going to land a top name for over 20 million dollars. The market below that has been pretty hit or miss though, and the names in the upcoming free agency class are either lackluster or over the hill. I can’t see them going down this route.
3. Steelers trade Pickens, sign a top veteran
If the decision ends up being to trade Pickens because the team is uncomfortable giving him a mega-deal, this seems like the only reasonable route to go with the future of the receiver room. You trade him away for whatever you can get and turn around and sign a top free agent to give you an instant replacement.
Tee Higgins would be the real prize, but there are flaws in going after him. More than likely, he will be one of the most sought-after free agents in this class, and the Steelers won’t win a bidding war for him. Chris Godwin still has some youth, but he has struggled with injuries and is mostly a slot receiver. That leaves names like Amari Cooper and Stefon Diggs, but then you are investing in players potentially past their prime. If you trade Pickens you essentially have to do this, but going the free-agent route carries a lot of risks.
2. Steelers sign Pickens, take a similar strategy to this year
Pittsburgh has shown a very consistent “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” strategy under Mike Tomlin, and while the receiver room was perfect, it certainly wasn’t broken this year. The offense moved the ball on the ground for the mody part and utilized an air game focused on Pickens. Bringing him back means you have your top guy to target, so significant investments wouldn’t be needed.
That doesn’t mean no new faces. You likely draft a receiver at some point and phase out options like Van Jefferson and Mike Williams with other names, but you aren’t adding anyone huge through the draft or free agency. The plan is simple: run it back and focus on Pickens in the passing game. It worked this year, so why change it?
1. Steelers sign Pickens, draft a receiver early
All of that said, I think the most likely option is that the Steelers take a Vikings approach to this draft. You know you have your star in Pickens, so you use your first or second-round pick on a receiver. That late in the draft, you aren’t getting an elite player, but someone capable of taking some pressure off of him and still being able to produce.
This passing game doesn’t need some sort of dominant pairing at receiver. Instead, you need your top dog and someone who can keep the offense going if they were to miss any time. Given the instant need, a top-two pick would have to be used, but it should be an investment that this team should be happy making at this point.