The Pittsburgh Steelers are certainly going to be in the market for a quality wide receiver during the 2025 offseason. Luckily for General Manager Omar Khan, he should have plenty of names to choose from. Lots of teams throughout the NFL are parting ways with wide receivers, as the league already saw Christian Kirk get traded to the Houston Texans on Thursday. Another name on the trading block is Cooper Kupp, as the Los Angeles Rams made their intentions to trade the veteran quite clear.
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Pittsburgh Steelers' potential trade candidate Cooper Kupp during a game with the Los Angeles Rams in the 2024 NFL season.
Kupp is on the tail end of his career, but the wide receiver can still be extremely productive. The veteran recorded over 700 receiving yards in 2024 to go along with six touchdowns, so Pittsburgh's offense can definitely use a wide receiver like him. The Rams are searching for a trade partner, but the organization has not had any luck. Los Angeles may resort to releasing the veteran if a trade partner cannot be found, and the Steelers would certainly make an effort to pick him up. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, NFL insider Benjamin Allbright has predicted that Kupp will end up with the Jacksonville Jaguars, which he said during a X Spaces session hosted by the JetCastPod.
"I’ll put one out there," Allbright begain. "This is not 100 percent. I think it’s going to get done, it’s not 100. I think Cooper Kupp winds up with the Jags."
Allbright did not give any further explanation on this, although he believes a deal will get done. He did not specify whether or not this would be a trade between the two organizations, or it would be Los Angeles releasing Kupp and the Jaguars then picking him up. The only reason the Rams are having issues finding a trade partner is because Kupp is owed roughly $57 million over the next two years, so no team likely wants to trade for that contract.
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Cooper Kupp during an away game with the Los Angeles Rams.
This move would make sense for the Jaguars, as the team just managed to get Kirk's contract off the books. Jacksonville needs a starting-caliber wide receiver, especially with an offensive-minded head coach in Liam Coen. Coen and Kupp also have an existing relationship as the coach was with the Rams from 2018 through 2020 and then once again in 2022. This might make Jacksonville an attractive destination for Kupp, especially with a franchise quarterback already in place in Trevor Lawrence.
If Kupp gets released and he gets to choose his next home, it is hard to say there is any reason for him to pick Pittsburgh over Jacksonville. The weather is much better in Florida, and there aren't any quarterback questions for the Jaguars. Kupp would be taking more of a risk joining the Steelers, which is why him ending up in Jacksonville seems like a probable outcome over Pittsburgh.
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Steelers' Omar Khan speaking at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine.
Steelers' Omar Khan Needs To Find A Way To Land Productive Wide Receivers
The Steelers usually rely on homegrown talent at wide receiver, but that hasn't been working as of late. The organization needs to find a way to acquire a big-name player, either through a trade or in free agency. The only issue is that Pittsburgh is not currently a very attractive destination. The starting quarterback for the 2025 season is still not under contract, and the team lost its final five games of the 2024 season.
It is hard to imagine many free agents would want to come to the Steelers after the way the 2024 season ended. Pittsburgh needs to fill a ton of holes throughout the roster and that might be hard to do if players no longer want to sign to play in Pittsburgh.
If the Steelers want to have a chance of landing players like Kupp, some questions throughout the roster must be answered, and that starts at quarterback.
What do you think of the likelihood of Kupp going to the Jaguars? Let us know in the comments below!
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