Insider Mark Kaboly reported this week the Pittsburgh Steelers failing to land a wide receiver at the NFL trade deadline had little to do with the team’s desire to make a deal happen. Kaboly, along with other insiders, reported the Steelers were pursuing a few different upgrades, including wideout Jakobi Meyers.
On Friday, Kaboly offered more details during a radio appearance for why the Steelers weren’t able to acquire Meyers.
Kaboly stated on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh that the Steelers had the same trade offer to the Las Vegas Raiders as the Jacksonville Jaguars did. However, Meyers chose to accept the deal to Jacksonville.
“You figure he’s going to go to Jacksonville where he’s probably the de facto [No.] one right now,” Kaboly told 93.7 The Fan hosts Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller, via Steelers Depot’s Alex Kozora.
With the Steelers, Meyers, and any receiver the team could have acquired, would have become the No. 2 (or even third receiver) target behind D.K. Metcalf.
The Jaguars landed Meyers from the Raiders for 2026 fourth and sixth-round choices. The two teams agreed to the trade Tuesday, hours before the league’s trade deadline at 4 pm ET.
WR Jakobi Meyers Preferred Trade to Jaguars Over Steelers
Steelers Nation can consider Meyers’ decision to play for Jacksonville instead of Pittsburgh a slight. But it has more to do with opportunity than anything.
Meyers is in a contract season. He has nine weeks and the postseason to earn his next NFL deal.
Therefore, it’s not shocking Meyers preferred to land with the team that is going to give him more chances.
Jaguars rookie receiver Travis Hunter landed on injured reserve on October 31. He will miss at least four games.
Fellow Jacksonville wideout Brian Thomas is dealing with an ankle sprain and is out for at least Week 10. With those injuries, Meyers could see opportunities with the Jaguars immediately.
The veteran wideout could also simply see more targets in Jacksonville because there are more to go around for every pass-catcher.
The Jaguars are tied for fourth in the league with 36.6 pass attempts per game. Of the teams who have played eight games this season, only the Cleveland Browns have thrown more passes.
Meanwhile, the Steelers are 22nd in pass attempts per game with 30.6.
Myers could have slid in as Pittsburgh’s No. 2 wideout for the remainder of the 2025 season. As the Steelers No. 2 receiver this year, Calvin Austin III has only posted 7.7 targets and 3.2 receptions per game.
Austin has 19 catches for 223 receiving yards and two touchdowns in six games during 2025.
Metcalf is the only Steelers pass-catcher with more than 227 receiving yards this season. He is also the lone Pittsburgh receiver with at least 20 receptions.
Steelers Settle for Marquez Valdes-Scantling at NFL Trade Deadline
According to Kaboly, general manager Omar Khan was trying to acquire a few different receivers at the deadline. Khan attempted to make a wideout trade even after signing veteran Marquez Valdes-Scantling to the team’s practice squad.
So, the Steelers didn’t want to just add Valdes-Scantling. But with the veteran, at least the team made some kind of receiver addition.
The 31-year-old will provide depth for Pittsburgh from the practice squad. He has four years of experience with quarterback Aaron Rodgers due to his time with the Green Bay Packers from 2018-21.
Valdes-Scantling is a tall, big-play threat while Meyers is more of a big-bodied possession receiver. The Steelers could have used the latter opposite Metcalf, who is averaging 16.1 yards per catch in 2025.
Meyers is also younger and coming off his first 1,000-yard campaign last year. The Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers cut Valdes-Scantling in 2025.
But with Meyers choosing Jacksonville, the Steelers won’t have much of a choice but to trust who they already have at receiver, which now includes Valdes-Scantling.
Veteran WR Rejected Deal to Steelers at NFL Trade Deadline: Report