Trade Market Heats Up, Steelers Have Competition for Texans WR

The Pittsburgh Steelers have competition for Houston Texans wide receiver John Metchie III. According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, multiple teams have reached out to the Texans to see if Metchie would be available in a trade due to the plethora of receivers on their roster. Schultz notes that it’s unclear if Houston would move him, but several teams are keeping a close eye. The former second-round pick out of Alabama had 10 catches for 100 yards and a touchdown in the preseason.

Given the Pittsburgh Steelers’ lack of depth at wide receiver and the uncertainty of landing a blockbuster trade for San Francisco 49ers star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, Pittsburgh could be one of the teams that have expressed interest in Metchie. The Texans are loaded at wide receiver with Stefon Diggs, Tank Dell, Nico Collins, Noah Brown and Robert Woods, so they could get some additional draft capital by dealing Metchie and it wouldn’t hurt their receiving corps.

At Alabama, Metchie recorded 155 receptions for 2,081 yards (13.4 average) and 14 touchdowns in three seasons for the Crimson Tide. Houston selected Metchie in the second round (44th overall) in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Metchie missed his entire rookie season after tearing his ACL in the SEC Championship Game at the end of his college career in 2021 and then receiving a leukemia diagnosis the following May. He was cleared to return to football after beating cancer last summer but didn’t log a lot of snaps. He caught 16 of 30 targets for 158 yards, and also played on Houston’s punt and kick return special teams units.

Neither Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin III, Quez Watkins or Scotty Miller put up over 210 yards receiving in 2023. Roman Wilson is heading into his rookie year and has been out since the second week of training camp with a left ankle injury. The wide receiver corps certainly leaves a lot to be desired, especially if George Pickens gets injured. If it’s not Brandon Aiyuk, the Steelers need to make a move at wide receiver prior to the start of the season. Metchie could be a fallback option. It would be a lot cheaper and the draft capital would be significantly less, too.

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported in his MMQB column last week that the Steelers’ contract offer to Aiyuk is less than $28 million per year, which is in the same ballpark as what San Fran is offering. The Steelers offer forced Aiyuk to go back to the table with the 49ers.

“The Brandon Aiyuk situation drags on, and I don’t have a whole lot to add on it,” Breer wrote. “The San Francisco 49ers’ star didn’t want to go to New England, which offered him more than $30 million per year in its proposals, or the Cleveland Browns. The Steelers’ price point was less than $28 million, which put Pittsburgh right in the neighborhood the Niners were inhabiting—with Mike Tomlin’s presence there the drawing card. That, in turn, pushed Aiyuk back to the table with the Niners.”