Steelers Predicted to Acquire $72 Million WR Before Week 1

The Pittsburgh Steelers failed to acquire an impact secondary wide receiver in 2024, leaving George Pickens without much help most games.

That can’t happen in 2025, and long-time Steelers beat reporter Mark Kaboly predicted that the team will end up acquiring Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk during a mailbag post on January 17.

“Week 1 2025, how different is that team to the one that took the field Week 1 this season and what additions or losses do you predict happening?” A fan asked Kaboly.

To which he responded: “I am going to give you my mid-January projected Steelers starting lineup… OFFENSE: Justin Fields, Jaylen Warren, Pat Freiermuth, George Pickens, Christian Kirk, Calvin Austin, Broderick Jones, Mason McCormick, Zach Frazier, Isaac Seumalo, Troy Fautanu.”

As you can see, outside of Fields replacing Russell Wilson at quarterback and Warren taking over for Najee Harris at running back, Kirk is the only real change. Sure, Fautanu wasn’t there in 2024 due to injury, but the only outside addition within Kaboly’s early “projection” is the 28-year-old wide receiver.

There were rumors that the Steelers almost traded for Kirk ahead of this year’s midseason deadline, but then the former second-round talent and 1,000-yard playmaker broke his collarbone the next game. That obviously eliminated him as an option for Pittsburgh at the time, but Kaboly appears to be betting that the Steelers are still interested.

Potential Steelers WR Target Christian Kirk Is Still Under Contract With the Jaguars in 2025

There’s a minor snag in Kaboly’s prediction. Kirk signed a four-year, $72 million contract with the Jaguars in 2022, and that deal doesn’t expire until the 2026 offseason.

That means Kaboly is counting on one of two scenarios to occur — although he did not specify which one.

Either the Steelers finish what they started last October and trade for Kirk, or the Jaguars release him as a cap casualty. According to Over the Cap, cutting the veteran before June 1 would only save Jacksonville a little over $10.4 million in 2025. Meanwhile the dead cap hit would be approximately $13.65 million.

Having said that, if the Jags choose to designate Kirk as a post-June 1 release, they’d save over $16.2 million, and that dead cap number drops to $7.884 million.

At the end of the day, the new coaching hire will likely be the deciding factor when it comes to Jacksonville keeping or ridding themselves of Kirk. If 2024 HC Doug Pederson was still running the offense this spring, Kirk’s return would certainly be more probable.

Now, it’s a toss-up, and Kaboly seems to think they’ll move on.

Kaboly Says It’s Too Early to Know If George Pickens Will Be Back in 2025

During the same mailbag Q&A with fans, another X user asked: “What are the chances that George Pickens will be back next year?”

Unfortunately, Kaboly didn’t have a clear answer for this tricky question.

“It is really impossible to say at this point,” he replied. “There are so many variables that can swing it one way or the other with the biggest being who is their WR1 if they do move Pickens via a trade?”

“Here is where the variables come in,” Kaboly continued, listing: “Do they want to trade him? What can they get for him that’s worth the move? Can they add a high-level WR1 during free agency that would allow them to shop him? Do you let him play out his contract and franchise tag him after next year?”

Finally, the veteran reporter concluded that “the biggest obstacle will be March 12 when free agency opens up.”

“Can [the Steelers] land somebody [at wide receiver]?” He pondered. “If so, I do think they will move him.”

To be clear, Kirk is not a WR1. He’d be more of a complimentary piece and a solid WR2/3