The Pittsburgh Steelers made an uncharacteristic blockbuster move when they flipped a second-round draft selection and a Day-3 pick swap to the Seattle Seahawks for No. 1 wide receiver DK Metcalf back in March, then extended him on four-year deal worth $132 million.
But the decision to take such a strong swing to improve the offense actually makes it more likely that the team will make an additional move to supplement the receiver room, particularly given the circumstances of the 2025 campaign. Pittsburgh dealt star pass-catcher George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys over the offseason, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers turns 42 years old in December and has said publicly that he plans to make this his final year in the NFL.
So while the mercurial Rodgers certainly reserves the right to change his mind, the Steelers are presumably looking at their aging roster’s 4-2 start — along with injuries to Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow and Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson — as an opening to win the AFC North Division and position themselves favorably for their first real playoff success in nearly a decade.
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Pittsburgh has lost five consecutive postseason contests and last won a playoff game back in 2016. Adding another weapon for Rodgers on the outside is an obvious upgrade to make ahead of the trade deadline, and New Orleans Saints wideout Chris Olave fits the bill as a quality second option behind Metcalf.
“New Orleans’ 1-6 record could present opportunities to acquire future assets for a team clearly in a rebuilding phase,” wrote Jeremy Fowler of ESPN on Wednesday. “Olave has moved past the concussion issues, and he had two big-play touchdowns in Week 7.”
ESPN predicted there is a 20% chance that the Saints move Olave mid-season and named the Steelers as one of his top three potential destinations. Olave is under contract for the remainder of the campaign on his four-year, $19.3 million rookie deal. The Saints have already picked up his club option for 2026, which means Olave will play next year at a salary of $15.5 million before entering free agency.
Olave, the No. 11 overall pick out of Ohio State in the 2022 draft, tallied north of 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first two professional seasons before concussion issues temporarily slowed him down. His current pace through seven games in 2025 extrapolates to year-long totals of 107 receptions, 1,068 receiving yards and seven scores.
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