New WR Target Hits Market for Steelers Immediately After Trading George Pickens
The Jacksonville Jaguars are releasing wide receiver Gabe Davis, the team announced on Wednesday, opening up a big potential fit for the Pittsburgh Steelers to address their newly created hole at wide receiver.
The Steelers have a big need at wide receiver after trading George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys earlier on Wednesday.
Davis could be just what Omar Khan will be looking for in terms of a replacement outside receiver. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Davis has been a starter for the last three seasons, with the Buffalo Bills in 2022 and 2023 before signing a big-time free agent contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
That deal didn’t work out the way Jacksonville thought it would, with Davis missing seven games with a torn meniscus and never clicking in the Jaguars offense, even when he was healthy. He finished the season with 20 catches on 42 targets for 239 yards and two touchdowns.
Now, the Jaguars are eating a substantial portion of his remaining salary, including $11 million in guaranteed salary for 2025. Like the Steelers’ deal with Russell Wilson last year, any salary Davis agrees to with a new team for 2025 will offset Jacksonville’s prior obligation, so he will likely play for the minimum this coming season.
Though Davis’ production was minimal in 2024, there was good reason the Jaguars had high hopes for him as a free agent addition.
Davis had 1,582 yards and scored 14 touchdowns over his final two season in Buffalo in 2022-23, when he started 32 of 34 possible regular season games. The best game of his career came against the Steelers in 2022, when he caught three passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns in a Buffalo rout of the Steelers.
In Pittsburgh, Davis could be a potential running mate with DK Metcalf, with plenty of playing time available for a 26-year-old looking to revive his career and get one more payday.