The Pittsburgh Steelers have finally made a move for a wide receiver. General Manager Omar Khan made a trade with the New York Jets to acquire Mike Williams just hours ahead of the 2024 NFL trade deadline. This isn't the superstar receiver that many fans had hoped for, but it is an upgrade at the wide receiver position for Pittsburgh. It can be seen as a bit of a disappointment as Khan once had his eyes on the likes of Brandon Aiyuk and Davante Adams.
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Pittsburgh Steelers owner, Art Rooney and GM Omar Khan stand together at a press conference announcing Khan's new position as the team’s general manager on May 27, 2022.
Williams will do the job, although Pittsburgh was in talks with some other teams regarding wide receivers around the deadline. It was reported on Tuesday that Pittsburgh was talking with the New York Giants regarding wide receiver Darius Slayton, who recorded over 100 yards against the Steelers in Week 8. Slayton is a rare bright spot in New York's offense, so the organization decided to hang on to him and wouldn't give him up to the Steelers.
Pittsburgh was also reported to be interested in Adam Thielen. The veteran wide receiver is clearly on the tail-end of his career, and he is being wasted away with the Carolina Panthers. Thielen caught over 100 passes for over 1,000 yards in 2023 while playing with a rookie quarterback in Bryce Young.
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Panthers' Adam Thielen gets set before the snap of the ball.
NFL insider Adam Schefter reported on Tuesday that the Panthers and Steelers had talked about a trade for Thielen, but the two sides were far apart on a potential deal. Pittsburgh has been known to low-ball in trade talks with Khan in charge, but there is likely other reasons for the two sides failing to reach an agreement.
On Tuesday morning, the Dallas Cowboys agreed to a deal with the Panthers where Dallas gave Carolina a fourth-round pick for wide receiver Jonathan Mingo and a seventh-round pick. Dallas has to be the only team in the league that would make this trade. Mingo has caught less that 50 percent of his targets since entering the NFL in 2023 and he has recorded just 539 yards in 24 games. He has also had to scratch and claw for snaps in Carolina, which is the least talented team in the league.
Dallas clearly overpaid for Mingo, which made it harder for Pittsburgh to acquire Thielen. Carolina wasn't going to give Thielen away for less than Mingo. Thielen is 34-years old and is coming off of a hamstring injury, but he is still leaps and bounds ahead of the second-year receiver. Ahead of the trade between Dallas and Carolina, it was feasible to think that the Panthers would let Thielen go for a late-round selection, but after Dallas swooped in, that deal may have been pushed off the table.
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Panthers' Adam Thielen looks on during a game in 2023.
Steelers Probably Would Have Preferred To Land Adam Thielen
The trade between the Cowboys and Panthers was absurd, but Mingo does still have two years left on his rookie contract. It isn't out of the question that he can be more productive in Dallas. Regardless, it made life harder on Khan when it came to acquiring Thielen. Thielen is the bigger-bodied slot receiver that the Steelers wanted at the deadline. He has plenty of experience and has been productive every where he has been, even in bad situations.
Williams will be serviceable in Pittsburgh, but he is very similar to George Pickens. He is a deep threat who can use his physical attributes and athleticism to win routes. Based on Pittsburgh’s pursuit of Aiyuk, Adams, Cooper Kupp, and Thielen, the organization wanted something completely different at the position behind Pickens. All of those guys would have come in and been route running technicians who have no issues getting open underneath. Instead, Khan landed another big-play receiver.
What do you think about the Cowboys potentially messing up the trade deadline for Pittsburgh? Let us know in the comments below!
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