The Steelers still have a receiver problem, and now a notable free-agent name has entered the picture.
Pittsburgh came into the season believing it had done enough to clean up the position group. The idea was that adding veteran Michael Pittman Jr. and rookie Germie Bernard would give Aaron Rodgers the kind of help he needs in Mike McCarthy’s West Coast offense. Four games in, that plan has not fully taken hold.
DK Metcalf broke out in a big way in Week 4, but he was quiet through the first three games. Roman Wilson has flashed, yet his mistakes have also cost the team possessions. Bernard has not made the kind of immediate rookie impact the Steelers were hoping for, and Pittman Jr. and Rodgers still have not found the same rhythm.
That’s why Tyreek Hill is suddenly part of the conversation.
According to NFL insider Adam Schefter, the former Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins receiver is talking with multiple teams. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told Schefter that he is handling negotiations for Hill and could have a deal finished before Week 5 kicks off.
"I would anticipate Tyreek potentially signing with a team over the next few days," Rosenhaus told Schefter.
Hill’s name carries obvious weight for a Steelers offense that still needs more juice. Even with Pittman Jr. and Bernard added to the mix, and with Wilson showing some improvement, Pittsburgh’s passing game has been underwhelming. When Rodgers gets protection, the same issue keeps surfacing: no one is consistently winning on their own.
That’s where Hill still has value. His game has always been built on separation. At his peak, he was so fast and so sudden that he seemed open before the defense realized it.
He is 32 now and coming off a major knee injury that involved multiple torn ligaments, so expecting the old version of Hill would be a stretch. But Pittsburgh would not need him to be a 100-catch centerpiece. What the Steelers need is simpler than that: a receiver who can create a little space and give Rodgers a clean target down the field.
Still, the Steelers landing Hill feels unlikely.
The receiver room is already crowded, and Hill has better options for his own situation. The Chiefs are widely seen as the favorite, and that makes sense for one clear reason: Patrick Mahomes.
Kansas City gives Hill a quarterback who is still in his prime and capable of pushing a team toward a Super Bowl. Rodgers, by comparison, is 42, and the offensive line play in Pittsburgh has not been steady enough to offer the same kind of setup.
In Other News...
Joey Porter Split Just Turned Into Something Steelers Fans Hate
Joey Porter Jr. has already settled into his new football home in Dallas, and his first game there gave Cowboys fans plenty to like on the defensive side. For Steelers fans, though, the familiar name attached to the move makes the whole split sting a little more, because this was never going to feel like a routine trade involving a talented young corner.
The bigger aftershock came after the game, when Joey Porter Sr. took to social media with a video aimed at the Steelers, accusing the organization of treating his son in a way he clearly did not appreciate. The backdrop here is a contract standoff that reportedly included a deal worth up to $28 million per season, but with the second year not fully guaranteed, and that gap appears to have been enough to push the relationship past the point of repair. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers CB Injury Crunch Could Push Familiar Veteran Onto Radar
With injuries thinning out the cornerback room, the Steelers are doing what teams in late-season roster churn often do and keeping a close eye on familiar names who might help without much risk. One of those options is Trevon Diggs, who is currently on the Seahawks practice squad and has the kind of background that can make a quick fit more realistic if Pittsburgh decides it needs another body on the back end.
Diggs also comes with a built-in connection to head coach Mike McCarthy, which matters when a team is weighing a short-term addition at a position where communication and comfort can matter as much as raw talent. Nothing official has been reported, but the Steelers search for cornerback help suggests they are leaving the door open if the right veteran becomes available. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Fans Have A New Reason To Revisit The Kaleb Johnson Trade
Kaleb Johnson gave Steelers fans another reason to look back at the trade when he turned in a mixed performance for Green Bay, flashing the kind of burst that made him intriguing in the first place. His 31-yard run helped set up a touchdown and served as a reminder that the big-play element still exists in his game, even if it did not always show up consistently during his time in Pittsburgh.
The same outing also underlined why the evaluation is not simple. Johnson put the ball on the ground near the goal line, leaving the very issue that followed him with the Steelers still hanging over his development, even as his explosive runs have looked better in Green Bay. For Pittsburgh, it is the kind of snapshot that keeps the trade in focus: enough upside to wonder what might have been, but enough risk to explain why the story is still unfinished. [Read more 🡒]