When the Pittsburgh Steelers were without No. 1 wide receiver George Pickens for multiple weeks recently, it was abundantly clear just how much they missed him, and just how much the Steelers need more playmakers to help him out.
Pittsburgh entered the 2024 season with a major question mark at wide receiver in the wake of the Diontae Johnson trade, and general manager Omar Khan’s addition of veteran Mike Williams has not been the answer the Steelers were looking for.
When the 2025 offseason rolls around, adding at least one more playmaker to the offense is a must if the Steelers truly want to take their offense to the next level.
One NFL analyst, TWSN’s Tyler Raymond, predicts that the Steelers will pull off a trade for New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson during the offseason. Here’s what he wrote on that:
“Trading for Wilson would give the Steelers one of the strongest receiving duos in the NFL,” Raymond wrote. “And more importantly, add another dimension to an offense that has already shown flashes of being great. Wilson wanting out provides the team with yet another shot at a position they so desperately need help at, and it would be shocking if they didn’t go all out to land the star.”
There has been some speculation that Wilson might want to be traded after another brutally tough season with the Jets. Wilson has also helped fuel that speculation by being non-committal about his future in New York.
“I’m gonna worry about these last two games and see what happens, man. I’m not gonna speak on that,” Wilson said, according to the New York Post’s Steve Serby, when asked about a potential trade request.
“All that’s out of my control. I just gotta play my part, and try to win games for this organization.”
The Jets would be stupid to trade Wilson, but this is the Jets we’re talking about. If they do make Wilson available, the Steelers should immediately pounce.
As far as his production is concerned, Wilson has been stellar, especially when you consider the disaster that has been the Jets’ quarterback situation and offense overall the last three seasons.
Wilson tallied 1,103 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 2022, 1,042 yards and three touchdowns in 2023, and he’s just 13 yards shy of cracking 1,000 yards in 2024, while also adding a career-high six scores.
Bear in mind, he’s had Zach Wilson and a seemingly diminished Aaron Rodgers throwing him the rock. One can only imagine what Wilson would do with better quarterback play.
At just 24 years old, Wilson still has two more years left on his rookie deal when you include the fifth-year option, so he can be a long-term solution for Pittsburgh. And, if things go south with Pickens and his contract situation, Wilson has the ability to take over as the No. 1.
It’s going to cost a pretty penny in draft capital to bring in a young star wideout like Wilson, but with his impressive history of production and age, and with Pittsburgh’s desperate need for more playmakers, he’d be worth it.
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