Steelers Predicted To Miss Out On Chance At Landing All-Pro Offensive Star

The Pittsburgh Steelers ended the 2024 season on a brutal, five-game losing streak. This rough stretch of games exposed a ton of holes throughout the roster, and it certainly gave an idea of what exactly needed to be improved. One of those areas was the offense as a hole, but specifically at wide receiver. Only having reliability from George Pickens is not going to work moving forward, and Pittsburgh likely needs to attack the position in both the 2025 NFL Draft and free agency.

Pickens certainly needs some help at wide receiver, and a natural fit for the Steelers seems to be Chris Godwin. Godwin is one of the more reliable wide receivers in the league, and he can do a little bit of everything. The veteran can play on the outside and in the slot, and he is a technician with the ball in his hands after the catch. He is scheduled to hit free agency once the new league year begins on March 12th, however ESPN insider Dan Graziano is optimistic the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be able to re-sign their receiver.

"The Buccaneers continue to work to bring back wide receiver Chris Godwin before he hits the free agent market," Graziano wrote. "It's unclear at this point whether they can reach an agreement, but the hallmark of Tampa Bay's 2024 free agency was its ability to retain its own, including Mike Evans and Baker Mayfield -- so they're optimistic about their chances of reaching a deal with Godwin."

Tampa Bay definitely hangs its hat on its ability to retain their own players, and based off of Graziano's reporting, the franchise is dedicated to retaining Godwin as well. The veteran wide receiver was on pace to have one of the best seasons of his career, but he suffered an ankle injury in Week 7 that would keep him out for the rest of the year.

There are a few factors to consider when talking about signing Godwin, assuming Tampa Bay can't get a deal done with their wide receiver. He is 29 years old and recovering from a dislocated ankle that required him to undergo surgery. It is always a little bit risky to cough up a ton of money to an older player attempting to bounce back from a serious injury. Godwin is currently projected to receive roughly $22.5 million per season on a three-year deal, but maybe he would take a hometown discount if he got something close to that in Tampa Bay.

Getting a deal done with Godwin is going to be difficult for Tampa Bay. Currently, the organization only has a little bit more than $8 million in cap space for the 2025 season. That number can always change depending on who the team releases or restructures, but it is certainly not a good starting point. The bottom of Tampa Bay's roster is full of players with no guaranteed money, which means the Buccaneers can make a couple moves to free up some money to keep Godwin around.

Steelers Will Have Plenty Of Veteran Wide Receivers To Choose From

Even if Godwin does end up staying in Tampa Bay for the 2025 season, the Steelers will still be able to upgrade the wide receiver position. A name to keep an eye on will be Darius Slayton. He is scheduled to be a free agent, and he has been surprisingly productive in a bad offense with the New York Giants. 

The Steelers should be in play for Slayton, although he may want to go somewhere with some more consistent quarterback play after playing six seasons in New York. Pittsburgh must make meaningful changes on offense overall during the 2025 offseason, and one of those changes has to be an upgrade at wide receiver.

What receiver do you want to see in Pittsburgh in 2025?