The Pittsburgh Steelers made a few significant offseason moves and should be poised to make a run at the playoffs in 20224.
The franchise parted ways with Kenny Pickett, who was supposed to be the next franchise QB and found a way to land two potential high-level starting QBs for almost nothing. Both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields have proven they can play at a high level and the Steelers gave up little to nothing to bring in the new QB duo.
The Steelers have the longest-tenured head coach in the NFL, and their lead man is now going to be with them at least through the 2027 season. On Monday, the franchise announced that they had signed head coach Mike Tomlin to a three-year contract extension.
“Mike Tomlin’s leadership and commitment to the Steelers have been pivotal to our success during his first 17 years as head coach,” Steelers President Art Rooney II said in a statement. “Extending his contract for three more years reflects our confidence in his ability to guide the team back to winning playoff games and championships, while continuing our tradition of success.”
While the Pittsburgh Steelers have always been solid on defense, they are going to make strides on offense in 2024 if they are going to make a playoff run in the ultra-competitive AFC.
The team traded Dionte Johnson to the Carolina Panthers and with Russell Wilson now locked in as the team’s starting QB for 2024, it will be critical to surround him with as many weapons as possible to set the offense up for success.
Other than George Pickens, the Steelers do not have a wide receiver signed on their 2024 roster who had more than 209 receiving yards last season.
There were rumblings the Pittsburgh brass was engaged in talks to possibly land Bengals’ free agent Tyler Boyd, but recent reports said that talks between both sides broke down. Pittsburgh was also linked to San Francisco 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk, but so far, it appears as if the 49ers are going to get a deal worked out to keep him on the West Coast.
But there is one high-profile wideout who would be the perfect addition to the Steelers offense with Wilson under center,
If Pittsburgh is going to compete with Kansas City, Buffalo, the New York Jets, the Ravens, Bengals and all of the loaded rosters in the AFC, they need a wide receiver who can take over a game no matter what the defense throws at him,
George Pickens has been solid since joining the Steelers out of Georgia, but he’s shown immaturity at times and hasn’t cemented himself as a true dominant No. 1 wideout.
That’s exactly why the Pittsburgh Steelers should package Pickens in a deal that may include a 2025 first round pick to acquire Dallas Cowboys star WR CeeDee Lamb.
With two quarterbacks that are making almost no dent in the salary cap, the Steelers have the flexibility to pay a premier wide receiver. Lamb is seeking to be one of the highest paid wideouts in the NFL and Pittsburgh should give him the contract Dallas hasn’t yet.
Lamb is coming off an All-Pro season in 2023 where he finished with 135 receptions for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns. There are certain players worth making a massive trade for that can instantly alter a franchise in a positive way and CeeDee Lamb fits the bill,
The Dallas Cowboys would get a quality receiver in return and an additional first round pick next year where there’s a real possibility the team will go into rebuild mold. This is a win for both the Cowboys and the Pittsburgh Steelers. While it may seem like a long shot, it’s impossible to rule anything out when it comes to Jerry Jones.
