Buy Or Sell: The Steelers should avoid Cooper Kupp and Deebo Samuel as wide receiver trade targets.
Explanation: The Steelers know very well that they have to upgrade their wide receiver room this offseason. Merely throwing bodies at the problem, however, doesn’t automatically solve anything. Cooper Kupp and Deebo Samuel are both two highly experienced veterans who have accomplished much. But are either, and their potential cost, right for the Steelers in 2025?
Buy:
The last thing the Steelers need is to bring in wide receivers who are past their prime. While Deebo Samuel isn’t old—recently turning 29—one can question what he still brings to the table. Neither Samuel nor Cooper Kupp had particularly good seasons in 2024.
And Samuel only has one NFL season with 900-plus receiving yards under his belt. His 1,405-yard season in 2021 feels like a fever dream at this point and is in no way indicative of what he might produce for the Steelers, which 150 rushing yards wouldn’t offset. As for Kupp, he hasn’t had more than a merely “solid” season since 2021.
He won the Triple Crown that year, but he hasn’t been healthy since. For three straight years, he has missed at least five games. There’s a reason the Rams are trading him. And there’s a reason the 49ers are willing to deal Deebo Samuel. And there’s a reason the Steelers should keep looking.
Sell:
Beggars can’t be choosers, and the Steelers are begging for wide receiver help, whether that’s Cooper Kupp, Deebo Samuel, or anybody who is still relevant. They can’t have another season of Van Jefferson and Scotty Miller and Mike Williams. Even owner Art Rooney II knows that.
They tried and failed to trade for Brandon Aiyuk, and in the process screwed themselves. The last thing the Steelers can afford to do is pass on an opportunity to upgrade the receiving room with a player the caliber of Kupp or Samuel. They might not be Pro Bowlers at this point of their careers, but they’re clear upgrades. They are producing more than the Steelers ae getting out of George Pickens. And chances are they can get a reasonable bargain for them.
With the Steelers’ 2024 season in the rearview mirror following a disappointing year that came up short in the playoffs once again, it’s time to start asking more questions. Questions about the team’s future in 2025 and beyond. Questions about The Standard.
The rookie class of a year ago was on the whole impressive, but they need to step up into staple starters in 2025, and they need everyone healthy to do it. They needed a strong influx of talent in both free agency and in the 2024 NFL draft yet again. In addition to a revisitation of the coaching staff.
These sorts of uncertainties are what I will look to address in our Buy or Sell series. In each installment, I will introduce a topic statement and weigh some of the arguments for either buying it (meaning that you agree with it or expect it to be true) or selling it (meaning you disagree with it or expect it to be false).
