The Pittsburgh Steelers’ attention was captured earlier this week when Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin requested a trade from his longtime team. The Steelers have been floated as a potential landing spot for McLaurin all offseason long, but it doesn’t sound like he will be landing in Pittsburgh, according to a recent report.
McLaurin has been angling for a new contract extension all offseason long, but to this point, he has not received what he’s looking for. After initially holding out from training, McLaurin reported earlier this week but didn’t take the field for practice. Just a couple of days later, he went public with his trade request.
The Steelers already pulled off a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Seahawks for DK Metcalf earlier this offseason, and promptly handed him a five-year, $150 million contract extension. However, they did trade George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys, so there could be room for them to make a move for McLaurin.
Sure enough, Pittsburgh’s front office quickly checked in on McLaurin once news of his trade request came out. Given that he wants to be paid like a No. 1 wide receiver, while also receiving the workload of a No. 1 wide receiver, the team reportedly will not be making a move for him, given that they already have committed to Metcalf.
“The Steelers reached out to the Commanders about a trade for Terry McLaurin, but are not expected to land the star receiver, a source tells DK Pittsburgh Sports,” Chris Halicke reported. “The Steelers learned that McLaurin not only wants to be paid like a true No. 1 receiver, which is expected, he wants to be a true No. 1 receiver on whatever team he plays on in 2025 and beyond.”
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McLaurin and Metcalf could have formed a deadly pass-catching duo with the Steelers, but it doesn’t seem like the Commanders star wants to play second fiddle in Pittsburgh’s offense. He fully believes he’s one of the best wide receivers in the league, and not only does he want to be paid like one, he wants to be given the opportunity to play like one, too.
It’s a shame that the circumstances haven’t lined up properly for the Steelers to pull the trigger on a trade for McLaurin, but they already made their move at wide receiver this offseason. And if all goes according to plan, Metcalf’s arrival will help Pittsburgh’s offense take things to another level in 2025.
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