Steelers May Face Unique Challenge Targeting Top Free Agent Wide Receiver

The Pittsburgh Steelers are expected to be extremely active once the new league years begins on the 12th of March. With plenty of money to spend and several holes on the roster to fill, General Manager Omar Khan will have his hands full trying to revamp the collective. Aside from the extensive attention that the quarterback position has received, wide receiver is just as much of a concern, even if George Pickens avoids being traded. Adding a free agent, as well as finding wideouts via the trade market and NFL Draft are all possibilities. The offense needs to get much more dynamic moving forward.

The Cincinnati Bengals are now officially expected to franchise tag wide receiver Tee Higgins, who was an individual many believed the Steelers would target in free agency. Even if he plays elsewhere in 2025, it will be due to a trade. It's very unlikely that Pittsburgh's AFC North rival would even consider trading him to a team that it plays twice each season.

Another intriguing name that could be wearing a different colored jersey in 2025 is Chris Godwin from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mark Daniels, a reporter for MassLive, noted that the New England Patriots will have significant interest in Godwin if he does not re-sign with Tampa Bay. There is a caveat thrown in, however, that could essentially affect every team interested in the veteran. He is coming off of a dislocated ankle that ended his 2024 season.

"With Higgins off the market, Chris Godwin becomes the top wide receiver ‘available’ in free agency," Daniels wrote. "Although many around the NFL believe the veteran will re-sign in Tampa, the Patriots will have interest in Godwin if he hits the open market, if his medicals check out, according to a source."

The only team that will likely still be willing to sign Godwin to an extension if his medicals do not check out is the team that has been up close and personal to him since the injury; that would be the Buccaneers. If it appears during the beginning of free agency that Godwin isn't where he should be in his rehab, then teams won't have the patience or time to wait on making an offer. This could drastically change how the dominos fall in a rather weak wide receiver free agency market.

It is already expected that Godwin and the Buccaneers will work something out, as Daniels reported, but due to a large franchise tag responsibility, Tampa Bay is not going to use it on the wideout. That means that he will be able to talk to other teams once the legal tampering period begins on Monday if a new contract is not agreed to by then. The main issue for wide receiver-needy teams out there, like the Steelers, is that no one is quite sure how Godwin is responding after surgery.

Godwin also tore his ACL back in 2021, so there is some injury history to be concerned about. A team like Pittsburgh would not be willing to give him a big contract if there is not a guarantee that he is trending back to being 100% healthy sooner rather than later. This presents a unique challenge when attempting to negotiate a deal, and could eventually lead to Godwin staying with the only team he has ever known since being drafted by the Buccaneers in 2017.

Steelers Can't Fail With Wide Receiver Roster Construction In 2025

It was quite clear that Khan and co. failed an offseason ago when it came to trading for a a wideout. Whether it is through the trade market or free agency, Pittsburgh can't afford to not upgrade the room before the draft. If Pickens stays, he needs more than one partner-in-crime to expand the offense. With Higgins out of the picture, Godwin could be a top focus, but it's also possible that teams are wary of his medicals when legal tampering begins.