The Pittsburgh Steelers have a respectable record of 4-2 entering Week 8 of the 2025 season. With an early bye, the team has a long stretch to end the year, and that will continue during a Sunday Night Football game against the Green Bay Packers. While organizations are focused on their opponents for the last week of October, front offices are really starting to decide if they want to be buyers or sellers. General Manager Omar Khan in the Steel City is expected to make some kind of move, but no one is quite sure if he will trade for a dynamic wide receiver or not.
Trevor Ruszkowski / USA Today Sports
Steelers General Manager Omar Khan sits in front of the media to answer questions during his first NFL Scouting Combine as the head of the team's front office in 2023.
A lot of Khan's acquisitions have been somewhat splashy during his tenure as the head of the franchise's front office. Some moves have come as a complete shock, while others, like trading George Pickens away, were somewhat expected. The offense for the Steelers has been a pleasant surprise in 2025; however, the decision could still be made to bring one more formidable option into the mix.
The wide receiver position in Pittsburgh is being led by DK Metcalf, but adding one more playmaker could absolutely elevate the unit to another level. Several names have been brought up, including Jakobi Meyers, Jaylen Waddle and Chris Olave, and others could be relevant sooner rather than later as well, as a big-time pass-catcher is reportedly joining the trade block.
Dianna Russini is a NFL insider for The Athletic. The reporter gave some more intel on possible trade-deadline news, and threw out an individual's name that has yet to really be considered as a possible target.
"The Jaguars are listening on calls for WR Brian Thomas Jr., even if a move feels highly unlikely," Russini wrote.
While it may not be a smart move for the Jacksonville Jaguars to deal Brian Thomas Jr., it is a new group running the show for the organization. General Manager James Gladstone may have different plans for the offense, along with Head Coach Liam Coen. The receiver is only in his second professional campaign, and was dominant during his rookie season. Russini brought up the Steelers in her reporting, but did not directly connect Khan and co. to Thomas.
"The Steelers are making calls about adding a wide receiver," Russini noted.
Every NFL reporter under the sun has made a note that Pittsburgh wants to add at the receiver position, but tying the franchise in with Thomas is likely to gain some steam in the coming weeks if he truly is on the block. It would be very expensive due to his age and abilities, but it appears as if the right offer could convince Gladstone to shock the league with a trade.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf runs a route (4) as the team goes through a play during a 2025 training camp practice at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Pittsburgh almost made a deal with the previous Jaguars regime back in 2024, when Khan was close to acquiring Christian Kirk. The veteran ended up breaking his collarbone just before the deadline, which made any and all talks with Jacksonville pointless.
The Steelers were in the process of trying to get a deal done for Christian Kirk, and league sources told ESPN there was a reasonable chance that the Jaguars wide receiver was going to wind up in Pittsburgh until he broke his collarbone last Sunday.https://t.co/8YDTPmxThd
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 2, 2024
Russini is the only somewhat reputable source throwing Thomas' name into the frenzy, but one has to dream about how dynamic Metcalf and Thomas would be if they were side-by-side for the foreseeable future.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf runs on the field at the UPMC Sports Complex as the team practices during 2025 Organized Team Activities (OTAs) in Pittsburgh, PA.
Steelers Won't Give Up Too Much Draft Capital For A Receiver
It would be very nice to see Khan be aggressive and acquire a legitimate threat in the passing game. However, the franchise passed along a second-round pick to trade for Metcalf, and giving up the same compensation two drafts in a row may not make sense. If, somehow, the team could trade its third-rounder (plus another selection) that it got from the Dallas Cowboys in the Pickens trade, it might just make all the sense in the world.
Do you think the Steelers should call about Thomas if he is available? Let us know in the comments below!
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