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The Pittsburgh Steelers already have a wide receiver, Diontae Johnson, with a 2023 cap hit over $15 million. But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t acquire another one, according to radio host Andrew Fillipponi.
“The Steelers should trade for Mike Evans,” Fillipponi, of 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh, tweeted February 17. “Last year of his deal. Touchdown machine. 1,000 yards every year. I’d offer Tampa a 3rd for Evans. Make them say no. Evans-Pickens-Johnson-Freiermuth-Najee. That would be a loaded offense.”
Evans, of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has posted more than 1,000 receiving yards in each of his nine NFL seasons. He’s also scored 81 touchdowns in 137 career games.
In 2018, Evans signed a five-year contract extension worth $82.5 million with roughly $55 million guaranteed. He will be entering the final year of the deal in 2023, when his cap hit is expected to be $23.7 million.
Steelers Searching for Another Offensive Dimension
The Steelers scored on just 9 touchdown passes made in the red zone, tied for 24th in the league. Adding Evans could improve those numbers because as recently as the 2021 season, he was among the league’s top 10 red-zone receivers. Last season, he added 3 touchdowns on 7 red-zone receptions, equaling Najee Harris’ red-zone touchdown numbers. Johnson had zero and didn’t score at all in 2022.
Though he will turn 30 in August, he’s been a star for nearly a decade, posting more 1,000-yard seasons since 2010 than any other receiver. He’s been a reliable target and a dynamic downfield playmaker, and his presence could help the development of second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett, who started 12 games for the Steelers as a rookie, going 7-5.
With Evans on the roster, fifth-year receiver Johnson and second-year receiver George Pickens would likely get fewer targets, potentially hampering Pickens’ development, but the Steelers’ offense would be more loaded with weapons. If the league’s four teams playing in this year’s conference championships had anything in common, it’s that the offenses were loaded.
Obstacles to Steelers Acquiring Evans
The million-dollar question, of course, is whether the Steelers — or any team — will actually have an opportunity to acquire Evans.
Some trade rumors have circled around the veteran receiver since the Buccaneers lost to the Dallas Cowboys in the postseason. But there’s no concrete evidence that Tampa Bay plans to shop the team’s all-time leading receiver. NFL Network’s Adam Rank wrote on February 16 that the Bucs should consider trading Evans because the team might be less competitive in the wake of Tom Brady’s retirement.
Even if they do make Evans available in a trade, a third-round draft pick might not be enough to acquire him.
Evans will be on the wrong side of 30 by the end of August, but four years ago, the Steelers received third and fifth-round picks for disgruntled receiver star Antonio Brown. At the time, Brown was a year older than Evans is now and the Steelers had no leverage in negotiations as Brown forced himself out of Pittsburgh.
The Buccaneers can always refuse to trade Evans and keep him for 2023 if the compensation offered for his services isn’t to their liking.
For the Steelers, there would also be the question of fitting Evans under the salary cap. The Buccaneers could presumably incur a chunk of his cap hit, and the Steelers could re-work an extension to get Evans on a more team-friendly deal for 2023.
But the Steelers also have needs at cornerback, linebacker, defensive line and offensive line. Spending big on a free agent wide receiver isn’t prudent with those needs. It would also break the rather strong precedence Pittsburgh has set, which is drafting and developing wideouts.
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