The Pittsburgh Steelers had a great defensive game in Week 9 against the top-seeded Indianapolis Colts. While the offense barely had to do anything in that game, it's still obvious that there are still some issues with the unit. The group only had 225 yards of total offense, and all but one of the scoring drives came on ridiculously short fields. That is not sustainable at all. It worked in this case, but the collective still has to do everything it can to improve, which may result in General Manager Omar Khan getting involved.
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Steelers General Manager Omar Khan picks up the phone in the team's war room during the 2023 NFL Draft weekend.
There are numerous options for the Steelers to get a wide receiver, but one name that has been circulating recently has been Calvin Ridley of the Tennessee Titans. Insider Mike Florio recently reported that he is being shopped around, and Justin Melo of TheDraftNetwork wrote about how he would be a great fit for Pittsburgh at this point.
"Local reports indicate the Titans are listening. That makes sense," Melo said. "They're 1-8 and rebuilding around rookie quarterback Cam Ward. Ridley is on a bloated contract that makes him a potential offseason cap casualty. The Pittsburgh Steelers upset the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, ending a two-game skid. Ridley would be an outstanding fit in Arthur Smith's offense opposite D.K. Metcalf. There's a hole at WR2, and Aaron Rodgers is playing well enough to warrant a deal."
At this stage of the season, there should be nothing stopping the Titans from blowing up their flawed core. They have been the epitome of Murphy's Law in recent years. Anything that could go wrong has gone wrong in Nashville. It seems like every decision the front office has made is the incorrect one, and that includes the massive contract that Ridley signed.
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Titans' Calvin Ridley runs with the football in a game against the New York Jets.
Ridley is a very boom-or-bust option. He either has a great game or terrible one. In 2025, it has been more of the latter, but he has not even played since Week 6 due to a hamstring injury. He is projected to return for Week 10, but will he still be a Titan by that time? If the answer is yes, then it's because teams were turned off by his recent injury and his overpriced contract.
At this point, Ridley is at his lowest value possible. Even if Tennessee eats a lot of his salary for 2025, it will be hard for them to get anything more than a late-round pick. He still has talent, but has not been a good fit with the Titans. It would not be surprising to see Khan give up almost nothing to bring in the former first-round pick to Pittsburgh to help give the offense a boost.
Steelers' Probable Details Of Potential Trade
The Steelers already dealt away a sixth-round pick in 2026 in the recent Kyle Dugger trade. The team could give up a different day three selection, and there is always the option to make a pick conditional in some way. Whether it's snaps, stats, or even if he's on the team in 2026, adding in some sort of condition could nudge the Titans to trade him away for practically nothing, as opposed to just cutting him at season's end and eating more dead cap.
Steelers.com
Steelers' Art Rooney II and Omar Khan look on after making a draft pick.
The Titans would have to eat a bunch of his salary in 2025 to make this deal work. Of course, they would have to take on his signing bonus proration, which means the only guarantees that the Steelers would have to worry about is his roster bonus and remaining guaranteed money in 2026.
If Ridley does not perform well in Pittsburgh, they could easily cut him at just a $3.02 million dead cap hit. Either way, Ridley will not be a Titan for long, so trading him now for anything would be a win for Tennessee.
What do you think about the Steelers possibly trading for Ridley? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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