Steelers Listed as Fit for Two Big-Name WR Trade Candidates
The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t been overly impressive, and despite a lackluster point differential, they currently sit atop the AFC North. A trade deadline boost could go a long way for Mike Tomlin’s team.
One could quibble with the semantics as to whether Pittsburgh is “all in” this season, but signing Aaron Rodgers isn’t exactly the move made with long-term thinking in mind. At 4-2 and with the rest of the division in peril, this might be the Steelers’ last best chance to make a deep run for a while.
That makes them a fascinating team at the Nov. 4 NFL trade deadline, and an intriguing ESPN.com piece posted Oct. 22 lists Pittsburgh as a potential landing spot for a pair of big-name wideouts: Miami’s Jaylen Waddle and Las Vegas Raiders receiver Jakobi Meyers.
Steelers Listed as Potential Trade Fit for Jaylen Waddle, Jakobi Meyers
In a story outlining the 25 top trade candidates, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Matt Bowen listed both Waddle (No. 2) and Meyers (No. 5) among the top players who could have new addresses by mid-November.
Waddle is still a long shot. Fowler gave it a 10% chance that the Dolphins would actually move him before the deadline. Miami is circling the drain, and head coach Mike McDaniel is in major jeopardy of losing his job. However, Waddle just signed a three-year extension last year.
“This is a similar situation to (Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher Trey) Hendrickson; the team does not plan to trade the player, but interest is there,” Fowler wrote. “While Miami could be tempted to trade players due to its 1-6 record, Waddle is a building block on offense, and he’s due $36.1 million in cash over 2025-26 — reasonable in today’s high-end receiver market.”
Meyers, on the other hand, feels far more likely to move. He needs a new deal and has already requested — and publicly confirmed multiple times — a trade.
“Multiple execs told me they believe Las Vegas is open to a deal but is not actively shopping him,” Fowler wrote. “Another, however, believes the Raiders would prefer to wait until after the season to make any sweeping changes, due in part to the presence of Pete Carroll. The type of offers that roll in over the next two weeks could determine the course of action here.”
Steelers’ Reported Plans for NFL Trade Deadline
Pittsburgh hasn’t typically made a big splash at the NFL trade deadline, but general manager Omar Khan isn’t against midseason additions. Just last year, the Steelers swung a trade for New York Jets receiver Mike Williams, who was largely a non-factor down the stretch.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writer Gerry Dulac believes Pittsburgh could take a similar path in 2025.
“I think if you see them go get a wide receiver, it’s gonna be the equivalent of Mike Williams, what they did last year,” Dulac said on 102.5 WDVE on Oct. 20, as transcribed by SteelersDepot.com.
” … I don’t think they’re ready to push any kind of button to say we need to get a second wide receiver, No. 2 wide receiver, because you’re seeing what they’re doing with all their different tight ends.”
Rodgers certainly has utilized Jonnu Smith (20 receptions), Pat Freiermuth (13) and Darnell Washington (nine) this season. Perhaps that’s sustainable, but adding someone like Meyers — a physical wideout who can serve as an intermediate option — would complement Metcalf and give Pittsburgh an added element to its offense.
Steelers Made The Right Decision Letting Justin Fields Go After Witnessing Disastrous 2025 Performance
The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a fantastic start to the 2025 season after current quarterback Aaron Rodgers has proven that he can still play at an elite level. He's thrown for 1,270 yards and 14 touchdowns, with only five interceptions so far throughout the year. Many insiders and experts believed the Steelers would not see much success with Rodgers at the quarterback position. They preferred that the team should've kept one of two former quarterbacks in Justin Fields or Russell Wilson, believing that either one would lead the Steelers to more success through the same timeframe into the season than Rodgers would ever bring by himself.
However, while Rodgers continues to thrive in Pittsburgh, the same cannot be said for either Wilson or Fields, with Fields in particular coming under some recent scrutiny for his particularly poor performance throughout the 2025 season. Through six games this year, Fields, now starting for the New York Jets, has only thrown four touchdowns and zero interceptions, but has fumbled a staggering three times and was benched in last week's loss to the Carolina Panthers, 13-6. Two days after that horrific loss for the Jets, Fields was indirectly called out by Jets Owner Woody Johnson when he spoke to the media at the NFL's Fall League Meeting in New York, as Johnson fielded questions regarding the status of Jets Head Coach Aaron Glenn.
It seems clear that the Steelers dodged a massive bullet by letting Fields go in the offseason and bringing in Rodgers. It's not to say that the Jets' recent woes are all on Fields, but the production at the quarterback level has to be up to par with league standards. They've certainly fallen short with Fields thus far.
There were plenty of statements made around the league regarding Rodgers' potential with the Steelers, and so far, Rodgers has proven the ones who had faith in him right through six weeks. The offense has been able to move the ball consistently, and they've been able to limit the turnover count greatly with Rodgers under center, compared to what could have been had either Fields or Wilson remained with the Steelers by this point in the season.
It's clear that Johnson's comments were solely made to keep Glenn around, referencing that most teams in the league would struggle with the level of quarterback play Fields has given the Jets through six weeks. While the Jets seem to be trending down with the ex-Steelers quarterback at the helm, the Steelers appear to be trending upward with Rodgers, the ex-Jets quarterback at the helm, which seems to have vindicated the ones around the league who remarked that bringing Rodgers in would both save his career, and save the Steelers organization.
Steelers Rewarded For Smart Decision Making By Signing Rodgers
Rodgers has currently led the Steelers to a 4-2 record as the team sits atop the AFC North through seven weeks. The collective outlook could theoretically be much worse if Fields had remained the starter, and his performance as the Jets starting quarterback through seven weeks has shown this well. The Steelers not only benefit well from Rodgers' much higher level of play, but the team benefits from his experience and leadership as a whole, as the entire locker room appears more unified around their starting quarterback as the team prepares to enter one of the tougher stretches of their schedule. This is after losing a close matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals on
The Steelers should be poised to continue this upward trend with Rodgers leading the team, as the franchise's performance on offense has significantly improved along with his own. This will be crucial going forward for the Steelers. On the opposite side, the Jets continue to trend downward with Fields at the helm, proving the Steelers front office was likely right about letting him walk.
