Steelers Now
The wide receiver free agent market for the Pittsburgh Steelers as it stands is pretty thin entering the 2025 offseason, but there has been plenty of speculation of names that could be added to the mix via potential trade and release, and you could possibly add on more to that pile in Seattle Seahawks receiver Tyler Lockett.
Lockett, 32, is entering the second year of a two-year contract he signed with the Seahawks last offseason, and is set to earn $17 million in 2025. None of that money is guaranteed, but he is due a $5.3 million roster bonus on March 16.
Asked about Lockett’s future with the club in a press conference introducing new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said the team brass is still “working through that” with regards to Lockett’s future.
Lockett is coming off his worst season in recent memory. In 17 games, he caught 49 passes for 600 yards and two touchdowns, all the lowest marks he’s had since at least 2017.
Lockett’s role in the Seattle offense has declined with the emergence of younger stars DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, leaving him with just 74 targets in 2024 after being thrown to at least 100 times in the previous six consecutive seasons.
The Seahawks could look to trade Lockett, or just outright release him to save the $17 million in salary cap space. The Seahawks need it. According to Over the Cap, they are approaching the new league year $13.5 million over the salary cap.
Lockett spent his first seven seasons playing with Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson, and should Wilson return to Pittsburgh, Lockett would seem to be a no-brainer acquisition to pair with his former passer.
But it seems more likely that the Steelers will turn things over to Justin Fields in 2025. At 5-foot-10, 182 pounds, Lockett is almost the same size as Steelers 2024 third-round pick Roman Wilson, who is scheduled to return from ankle and hamstring injuries that caused him to miss almost the entire 2024 season.
He might not end up being a perfect fit for the Steelers, but one more wide receiver on the market will benefit Pittsburgh nonetheless, if Seattle does decide to mov eon.
