The Pittsburgh Steelers are expected to continue to address their wide receiver room this offseason, and some believes a known name could make plenty of sense for the franchise.
Jarrett Bailey of SB Nation believes that the Steelers should consider signing veteran receiver Christian Kirk to help improve their offense heading into the 2026 season.
Bailey pointed out that Pittsburgh has shown a want to bring in players who previously performed well against them. The Steelers followed that formula earlier by signing Kenneth Gainwell, a player who had success against Pittsburgh before joining the team.
Bailey believes Kirk could be a similar type of player.
“If the Steelers repeat the process of signing a guy who dominated their defense i.e. Kenneth Gainwell, then Kirk is a name to watch,” Bailey wrote.
“The veteran wideout caught eight passes for 144 yards and a touchdown against Pittsburgh in the wild card round this past January,” Bailey noted.
Performances like that tend to stand out to opposing teams, though it’s fair to mention that Mike Tomlin obviously isn’t around. When a player consistently finds ways to create separation and produce big plays, he’d help any offesne.
Kirk has been a reliable target throughout his NFL career, playing the game the right way..
For Pittsburgh, adding another experienced receiver should be a priority, no matter who the QB is. The team continues to reshape its offensive identity under Mike McCarthy, and the wide receiver group still has room for improvement and additional depth.
Bailey suggested that a short-term contract would be the ideal approach if the Steelers go after Kirk. A move would give the team a proven veteran presence while also maintaining flexibility to continue building through the 2026 NFL Draft.
“With the Steelers still needing multiple receivers, signing Kirk to a cheap short-term deal in addition to drafting another receiver would help solidify the room for 2026,” Bailey wrote.
While the Steelers have several potential paths to improve their receiving corps, I like this suggestion as Kirk wouldn’t be too expensive. Having Aaron Rodgers back would be even better, but even a rookie quarterback would benefit from having Kirk.