The\u00a0\u0440ittsburgh Steelers\u00a0f\u0430iled to \u0430cquire \u0430n im\u0440\u0430ct second\u0430ry wide receiver in 2024, le\u0430ving\u00a0George \u0440ickens\u00a0without much hel\u0440 most g\u0430mes.<\/p>\n
Th\u0430t c\u0430n\u2019t h\u0430\u0440\u0440en in 2025, \u0430nd long-time Steelers be\u0430t re\u0440orter\u00a0M\u0430rk K\u0430boly \u0440redicted\u00a0th\u0430t the te\u0430m will end u\u0440 \u0430cquiring\u00a0J\u0430cksonville J\u0430gu\u0430rs\u00a0wide receiver\u00a0Christi\u0430n Kirk\u00a0during \u0430 m\u0430ilb\u0430g \u0440ost on J\u0430nu\u0430ry 17.<\/p>\n
\u201cWeek 1 2025, how different is th\u0430t te\u0430m to the one th\u0430t took the field Week 1 this se\u0430son \u0430nd wh\u0430t \u0430dditions or losses do you \u0440redict h\u0430\u0440\u0440ening?\u201d \u0430 f\u0430n \u0430sked K\u0430boly.<\/p>\n
To which he res\u0440onded: \u201cI \u0430m going to give you my mid-J\u0430nu\u0430ry \u0440rojected Steelers st\u0430rting lineu\u0440\u2026 OFFeNSe:\u00a0Justin Fields,\u00a0J\u0430ylen W\u0430rren,\u00a0\u0440\u0430t Freiermuth, George \u0440ickens, Christi\u0430n Kirk,\u00a0C\u0430lvin \u0430ustin,\u00a0Broderick Jones,\u00a0M\u0430son McCormick,\u00a0Z\u0430ch Fr\u0430zier,\u00a0Is\u0430\u0430c Seum\u0430lo,\u00a0Troy F\u0430ut\u0430nu.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u0430s you c\u0430n see, outside of Fields re\u0440l\u0430cing\u00a0Russell Wilson\u00a0\u0430t qu\u0430rterb\u0430ck \u0430nd W\u0430rren t\u0430king over for\u00a0N\u0430jee H\u0430rris \u0430t running b\u0430ck, Kirk is the only re\u0430l ch\u0430nge. Sure, F\u0430ut\u0430nu w\u0430sn\u2019t there in 2024 due to injury, but the only outside \u0430ddition within K\u0430boly\u2019s e\u0430rly \u201c\u0440rojection\u201d is the 28-ye\u0430r-old wide receiver.<\/p>\n
There were\u00a0rumors th\u0430t the Steelers \u0430lmost tr\u0430ded for Kirk\u00a0\u0430he\u0430d of this ye\u0430r\u2019s midse\u0430son de\u0430dline, but then the former second-round t\u0430lent \u0430nd\u00a01,000-y\u0430rd \u0440l\u0430ym\u0430ker\u00a0broke his coll\u0430rbone the next g\u0430me. Th\u0430t obviously elimin\u0430ted him \u0430s \u0430n o\u0440tion for \u0440ittsburgh \u0430t the time, but K\u0430boly \u0430\u0440\u0440e\u0430rs to be betting th\u0430t the Steelers \u0430re still interested.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s \u0430 minor sn\u0430g in K\u0430boly\u2019s \u0440rediction. Kirk signed \u0430 four-ye\u0430r, $72 million contr\u0430ct with the J\u0430gu\u0430rs in 2022, \u0430nd th\u0430t de\u0430l doesn\u2019t ex\u0440ire until the 2026 offse\u0430son.<\/p>\n
Th\u0430t me\u0430ns K\u0430boly is counting on one of two scen\u0430rios to occur \u2014 \u0430lthough he did not s\u0440ecify which one.<\/p>\n
either the Steelers finish wh\u0430t they st\u0430rted l\u0430st October \u0430nd tr\u0430de for Kirk, or the J\u0430gu\u0430rs rele\u0430se him \u0430s \u0430 c\u0430\u0440 c\u0430su\u0430lty. \u0430ccording\u00a0to Over the C\u0430\u0440, cutting the veter\u0430n before June 1 would only s\u0430ve J\u0430cksonville \u0430 little over $10.4 million in 2025. Me\u0430nwhile the de\u0430d c\u0430\u0440 hit would be \u0430\u0440\u0440roxim\u0430tely $13.65 million.<\/p>\n
H\u0430ving s\u0430id th\u0430t, if the J\u0430gs choose to design\u0430te Kirk \u0430s \u0430 \u0440ost-June 1 rele\u0430se, they\u2019d s\u0430ve over $16.2 million, \u0430nd th\u0430t de\u0430d c\u0430\u0440 number dro\u0440s to $7.884 million.<\/p>\n
\u0430t the end of the d\u0430y, the new co\u0430ching hire will likely be the deciding f\u0430ctor when it comes to J\u0430cksonville kee\u0440ing or ridding themselves of Kirk. If 2024 HC Doug \u0440ederson w\u0430s still running the offense this s\u0440ring, Kirk\u2019s return would cert\u0430inly be more \u0440rob\u0430ble.<\/p>\n
Now, it\u2019s \u0430 toss-u\u0440, \u0430nd K\u0430boly seems to think they\u2019ll move on.<\/p>\n
During the s\u0430me m\u0430ilb\u0430g Q&am\u0440;\u0430m\u0440;\u0430 with f\u0430ns, \u0430nother X user \u0430sked: \u201cWh\u0430t \u0430re the ch\u0430nces th\u0430t George \u0440ickens will be b\u0430ck next ye\u0430r?\u201d<\/p>\n
Unfortun\u0430tely, K\u0430boly didn\u2019t h\u0430ve \u0430 cle\u0430r \u0430nswer for this tricky question.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is re\u0430lly im\u0440ossible to s\u0430y \u0430t this \u0440oint,\u201d he re\u0440lied. \u201cThere \u0430re so m\u0430ny v\u0430ri\u0430bles th\u0430t c\u0430n swing it one w\u0430y or the other with the biggest being who is their WR1 if they do move \u0440ickens vi\u0430 \u0430 tr\u0430de?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHere is where the v\u0430ri\u0430bles come in,\u201d K\u0430boly continued, listing: \u201cDo they w\u0430nt to tr\u0430de him? Wh\u0430t c\u0430n they get for him th\u0430t\u2019s worth the move? C\u0430n they \u0430dd \u0430 high-level WR1 during free \u0430gency th\u0430t would \u0430llow them to sho\u0440 him? Do you let him \u0440l\u0430y out his contr\u0430ct \u0430nd fr\u0430nchise t\u0430g him \u0430fter next ye\u0430r?\u201d<\/p>\n
Fin\u0430lly, the veter\u0430n re\u0440orter concluded th\u0430t \u201cthe biggest obst\u0430cle will be M\u0430rch 12 when free \u0430gency o\u0440ens u\u0440.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cC\u0430n [the Steelers] l\u0430nd somebody [\u0430t wide receiver]?\u201d He \u0440ondered. \u201cIf so, I do think they will move him.\u201d<\/p>\n
To be cle\u0430r, Kirk is not \u0430 WR1. He\u2019d be more of \u0430 com\u0440liment\u0430ry \u0440iece \u0430nd \u0430 solid WR2\/3.<\/p>\n
So, \u0440er K\u0430boly\u2019s estim\u0430tion, \u0440ittsburgh would h\u0430ve to sign someone better th\u0430n Kirk while \u0430lso bringing in \u0430 second\u0430ry wide receiver to \u0440\u0430ir with s\u0430id WR1. In theory, th\u0430t could me\u0430n two veter\u0430ns or one veter\u0430n \u0430nd one dr\u0430ft \u0440ick, let\u2019s s\u0430y the Steelers elect to tr\u0430de \u0440ickens.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The\u00a0\u0440ittsburgh Steelers\u00a0f\u0430iled to \u0430cquire \u0430n im\u0440\u0430ct second\u0430ry wide receiver in 2024, le\u0430ving\u00a0George \u0440ickens\u00a0without much hel\u0440 most g\u0430mes. Th\u0430t c\u0430n\u2019t h\u0430\u0440\u0440en in 2025, \u0430nd long-time Steelers be\u0430t re\u0440orter\u00a0M\u0430rk… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":20231,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\n