After inking T.J. Watt to a three-year, $123 million contract extension that includes $108 million in fully guaranteed money, most Pittsburgh Steelers would assume Omar Khan and the front office are done making splashes this summer. But that may not be the case. Despite signing Watt to a record-setting deal, there's still room for one more.
Because of Watt's contract structure, the star edge rusher is on the books for a $23.36 million cap number for the 2025 season. This still gives the Steelers over $17.46 million in cap space to play with for the 2025 season, per Over The Cap—a number that jumps up to $31.64 million in 2026.
The rookie class has been signed, but Pittsburgh likes to carry roughly $6-8 million in salary cap space into the season in the event of injuries. But this still gives the Steelers plenty of financial firepower to make one more splash move.
And considering they are clearly in a win-now window, they could do even more to better their chances of competing in the playoffs this year.
The Pittsburgh Steelers can trade for a starting Green Bay Packers wide receiver
This is something we've written about several times. The Pittsburgh Steelers require a No. 2 wide receiver, and the Green Bay Packers have the answers. Green Bay spent its 2025 first-round pick on Texas receiver Matthew Golden. The newcomer stands to be the lead receiver from the gate with the Packers, but this means that the deepest WR room in the league will have an odd man out.
In addition to Golden, the Packers' wide receiver room already consists of Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, Dontayvion Wicks, Mecole Hardman, Bo Melton, and third-round rookie Savion Williams. There isn't a chance the Packers are keeping eight wide receivers on their 53-man roster, so it stands to reason that they could be willing to part with one of their players in a trade.
The Packers obviously won't part with their first-round pick, and it would make little sense to trade Williams after taking him in Round 3. Additionally, Reed has already proven to be a quality No. 2 wide receiver and still has two years remaining on his rookie deal.
From Green Bay's perspective, three receivers would make the most sense to move on from in a trade with the Steelers: Doubs, Watson, or Wicks.
Doubs and Watson are entering the final years of their rookie contracts and won't be part of the future plans in Green Bay, while Wicks is sure to see a diminished role if he sticks around, thanks to the additions of rookies Golden and Williams.
Watson and Doubs have both played with quarterback Aaron Rodgers during their rookie seasons in Green Bay. Rodgers had a 121.5 passer rating when targeting Watson back in 2022, and Watson exploded onto the scene with 611 yards and seven touchdowns in just 14 games while averaging an outstanding 9.3 yards per target.
Unfortunately, Watson is beginning training camp on PUP. Though he can still be traded, he may not be back up to full speed until November. This could be an added incentive for Green Bay to send him packing, but the Steelers may have trouble getting on board with an injury-plagued wide receiver in a trade.
For this reason, Doubs might be the best wide receiver trade option. At 6'2'' and 202 pounds, Doubs has a powerful frame and strong hands to bring the ball down in traffic. In 13 games with Rodgers as his quarterback in 2022, Doubs recorded 42 receptions for 425 yards and three touchdowns.
Though Doubs has struggled with drops at times over his career, he recently turned just 25 in April, and with a strong season, he could even earn a contract extension from the Steelers. Dontayvion Wicks could also be in the mix for a potential trade, but Wicks joined the NFL after Rodgers already left Green Bay for New York, and he hasn't been consistent over his first two seasons.
With all three players on rookie deals, none of them would break the bank, and none of them would leave a dent in Pittsburgh's salary cap. Doubs is the most expensive of the group with a 2025 base salary of just $3.4 million. Even if the Steelers wanted to ink one of these receivers to an extension with the trade, there's more than enough cap room to get that done, as the Steelers could take a small cap number upfront and push a bulk of the money into future years.
The Steelers' wide receiver room would instantly look a lot better if Christian Watson or Romeo Doubs were added to the mix. Either of these receivers could pair with DK Metcalf as the starter, which means their depth of Calvin Austin III, Roman Wilson, and Ben Skowronek would suddenly look stronger.
There's still salary cap space for one big Steelers move after the T.J. Watt extension, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are eager to win now. They could make a hypothetical trade with the Green Bay Packers become a reality.