4 massive free agents (and one trade) the Steelers need to land this offseason

The plus side of getting yeeted up outta the playoffs early is that the team and its hardcore fans get a head start on bickering over free agents. Due to tampering rules, there’s no strategic advantage to starting speculation early but imagining the possibilities of an improved roster is cathartic.

The Steelers are expected to enter the offseason with approximately $54 million in their coffers. Extensions, dismissals, and restructurings can manipulate that figure, but what matters is that the Steelers have flexibility. There are a range of possibilities for this offseason which can be both positive and concerning. Play their cards right and the Steelers could be on an upward trajectory in 2025. Play it poorly, and it could result in them taking a step back in the AFC North. 

Here are the acquisitions they need to swing big for.

Tee Higgins

Higgins is slated to be the most highly sought-after free agent on the market, which portends a bidding war for his services. Pro Football Focus compares him to Kenny Golladay which is foreboding stuff. Arthur Smith could deploy him much like he did Drake London in Atlanta. 

At 6-foot-4, he's the league’s biggest and most consistent wideout target this side of Mike Evans. At 25, he's significantly younger than Evans and has enough years left in his prime to justify a massive investment.  If Russell Wilson is the quarterback in 2025, a Drake London/Mike Evans hybrid has its advantages. He won't be cheap, but signing Higgins would have the added benefit of robbing Joe Burrow of one of his top targets and weakening a superpower within their division.

Chris Godwin

Godwin’s contract would likely be a little more reasonable than Higgins’. He’s four years older, and still rehabbing a season-ending ankle injury. Chris Godwin has gotten lost in the shadow of Mike Evans, but at 30 a change of scenery could be in the cards. The only question is whether he’d be seeking No. 1 receiver money or be in a position to accept No. 2 receiver salary. The latter is likely after his second season-ending injury in four years.

Godwin moved inside to the slot this season but is comfortable playing on the outside. Before this season, Godwin has logged three consecutive 1,000-yard campaigns. Godwin would demand a more affordable contract than Higgins and has much more mileage on his odometer, but for a short-term rental, he’s low-risk and would allow them to spread their off-season dough around.

Deebo Samuel 

Technically, this would have to occur in a trade, because Deebo Samuel is still under contract with the San Francisco 49ers. Samuel is the type of depreciating asset the Steelers have been exceptional at flipping into contributors Since a 1,800-yard, 14 touchdown- 2021 season, Samuel has fallen short of lofty expectations. Since his All-Pro campaign, Samuel has fallen behind Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk in San Francisco's playmaker hierarchy. But Tomlin can maximize the talent provided to him. Samuel is likely on the outs in San Francisco this summer. 

Samuel scored only three touchdowns and never regained his form in the last two years. But a change of scenery may be all that he needs after seeing his role diminish in San Francisco. He’s also the type of multidimensional Swiss army knife that Arthur Smith can utilize as a runner or in the short passing game.

As a playmaker, Samuel's physicality and value on intermediate routes would make him an incredible asset for a team that relied heavily on what Ravens assistant Noah Riley coined as ‘lay-ups and 3-pointers.’  The asking price for Samuel last summer was allegedly a second and a third-rounder. That’s not an unreasonable starting point and given the demands on Tomlin to produce results next season, the Steelers may be willing to surrender those assets in 2025 or the form of future picks.

D.J. Reed 

Down the stretch, Donte Jackson’s play declined dramatically. Defending the skies alongside Sauce Gardner, Reed’s coverage grade in 2024 dipped as the entire defense tanked, but he played near an All-Pro level in 2022 and 2023. If Jackson doesn’t return in 2025, Reed has indicated he’s in the market for a stable and healthy franchise. The Steelers could be attractive to Reed as the polar opposite of the Jets' dysfunction in nearly every way.

Amari Cooper

Cooper’s name will likely emerge as a viable option at receiver who won’t garner a hefty price tag. He’ll be 31 next season but in 2023, he finished 10th in receiving yardage while catching passes from four different quarterbacks in Cleveland and he's never been a locker room headache. 

He has also eclipsed 1,000 yards in four of the last five seasons before a volatile 2024 season saw him get traded midseason. However, there are reasons to be concerned with Cooper. He’s struggled with drops, doesn’t create much separation on routes, and he’s not exceptionally dynamic after the catch, a trait many of the Steelers skill-position players have lacked in recent years. However, in each of his previous stops. Cooper exploded out of the gates during his inaugural season.