The Pittsburgh Steelers are always looking to make improvements to the team. They recently signed some minor depth pieces to help out in that regard, but General Manager Omar Khan is always looking for a big splash to help improve the team drastically. That's why Pittsburgh immediately became a top option to acquire Terry McLaurin after he requested a trade. Adding an elite receiver next to an already-dominant wideout would make the offense so much better. "Scary Terry" would make the black and gold much scarier.
Jonathan Newton / The Washington Post
Commanders' Terry McLaurin points to the crowd after scoring a touchdown.
It's not that simple, however. Insider Mark Kaboly told fans to pump the breaks during an appearance on 93.7 The Fan. He doesn't believe the Steelers have much of a chance of acquiring McLaurin prior to the 2025 regular season.
"I would put that [potential trade] way way way way down the list for them just because of the money. He wants DK Metcalf money, right? $30-35 million a year," Kaboly explained. "If you were just going to trade [for] him and he would play out the year, that's great, but add the second guy with that contract, I just don't that that's an option. I just don't think that's possible, or they're willing to do that."
After the Steelers traded for DK Metcalf, they gave him a four-year extension worth $33 million per year, and that will take effect starting in the 2026 season. That is a lot of money to give to a wideout, but since he is expected to be a top-flight receiver, Pittsburgh was ok with giving him that kind of deal, and they usually don't give out contracts like that.
Gene J. Puskar / AP Photo
DK Metcalf (left) and Aaron Rodgers are going to great lengths to establish chemistry this season for the Steelers.
Giving out one contract like that is doable. Giving out two contracts like that to guys that play the same position is very tough to do. If McLaurin truly wants Metcalf money, then that might be out of Pittsburgh's price range. It can be done for 2025, but paying $66 million per year to two wide receivers over four seasons may not be the greatest idea, and that would lead to the Steelers passing on that and rolling with what they have currently.
What makes that deal even tougher is that the Steelers would have to trade for him in the first place, and giving up assets for him would make the team lose some leverage. They gave up a second-round pick for Metcalf, so that's probably the most they would give up for McLaurin. In a vacuum, it is a very sensible deal, but in Pittsburgh's case, there may be some more issues with it.
Steelers' Potential Acquisition Of McLaurin Could Make Long-Term Goals Harder To Reach
It's no secret that the Steelers are looking for a franchise quarterback in 2026 and potentially 2027. To make that happen, they need all they draft capital they have to trade up and get their guy. Giving up a second- or third-round pick would make it harder to do that trade, as they would have to give up more future assets to grab their quarterback of the future. That is not what the Steelers want to do currently.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers General Manager Omar Khan picks up the phone in the team's war room during the 2023 NFL Draft weekend.
McLaurin is also about to turn 30 years old in September. The Steelers already gave out a mega-deal to someone his age, so they may not want to put all of their future stock in aging players that will be on the decline soon. Typically, teams prefer to get younger, not significantly older. Pittsburgh has already loaded up on older players, so they may want to chill out on that a bit and work on getting another youth movement going.
What do you think about Terry McLaurin not being a realistic option for the Steelers in 2025? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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