Steelers Now
Dan Pompei of The Athletic revealed the Pittsburgh Steelers wanted to sign this Pro Bowl wide receiver in free agency.
The Pittsburgh Steelers revamped their wide receiver room this offseason, acquiring DK Metcalf, signing Robert Woods in free agency and then trading George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys. But Dan Pompei of The Athletic revealed that wasn’t the original plan.
Pompei recently shared that the Steelers had serious interest in signing Pro Bowl wide receiver Chris Godwin, who eventually re-signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a three-year, $66 million deal.
“Four other teams wanted Godwin, with the Patriots and Steelers at the forefront, according to Godwin,” Pompei writes.
However, Pittsburgh must have had an inkling that Godwin was going to stay in Tampa Bay because it traded for Metcalf two days before the veteran wide receiver agreed to return to the Buccaneers.
It never seemed to be about money for Godwin, either. He reportedly turned down a $30 million per year offer from the Patriots for a $22 million per year deal with Tampa Bay. And Godwin would have come at a risk, too.
The 29-year-old suffered a season-ending ankle injury in 2024 that required surgery. He is expected to make a fully recovery but it remains to be seen if he’ll return as the same player who has racked up 579 catches for 7,266 yards and 39 touchdowns in the first eight years of his NFL career.
Metcalf, on the other hand, has never played in less than 15 games in a season and recorded at least 900 receiving yards and five touchdowns in each of his first six seasons.
So it’s safe to say everything worked out as Godwin gets to stick with the team that drafted him and the Steelers landed their new No. 1 wide receiver, who has less question marks, anyway.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Insider Reveals Steelers Had Serious Interest in Signing Pro Bowl WR This Offseason
