The Pittsburgh Steelers turned in a disappointing finish to their 2023 season, and they will look to turn the page in 2025 with a bounce-back year. Those efforts begin with the start of the new year on March 12, when free agency officially begins.
The Steelers have several holes that they need to address, but their most pressing issue is the wide receiver position. Luckily for the Steelers, the perfect player is available and should be able to be acquired at a reasonable price point.
The Steelers desperately need to address the wide receiver room and add another high-level pass catcher. George Pickens is an elite physical talent, but he is also a young player with a mercurial attitude. Part of this comes from age and frustration.
Pickens is used to being far and away the best receiver on the field, and he’s used to being able to dominate every game and directly improve his team’s chances of winning. Pickens can certainly be an asset for the Steelers, but he can’t win a game on his own the way he could in college. It’s also easy at the NFL level for defenses to scheme and take away a single player, and this has led to frustration at times for the former Georgia star.
DeAndre Hopkins would bring a veteran presence that would benefit the Steelers not only on the field but also in the locker room. Hopkins could help teach Pickens the ins and outs of NFL life and help him adjust to his role in the NFL.
This would be invaluable to a locker room and coaching staff that has struggled to contain Pickens’ emotional outbursts early in the wideout’s career.
Hopkins struggled a bit during this past season by his own lofty standards, and the veteran receiver may have lost a step or two. That doesn’t mean he isn’t capable of providing something at this point in his career, though. Hopkins is still a credible threat to defenses because of his size, strength, athleticism, and veteran savvy.
The Steelers struggled a lot in the red zone in 2024 and if they want to take the next step and regain their status as Super Bowl contenders, they’ll definitely need to turn more of their field goals into touchdowns. Hopkins can help with this, and he’ll be an especially valuable asset given that the Steelers will likely have a young quarterback who will need all the help that he can get.
The Steelers should be able to sign Hopkins to a reasonable deal that won’t force them to break the bank this winter. Because of Hopkins’ perceived decline, he’s unlikely to get more than a three-year deal and it would be surprising if he commanded more than $10 million per year at this stage of his career. The Steelers should certainly be in on Hopkins at this price point, and there’s a good chance that they can acquireno his services.
