Another potential wide receiver target for the Pittsburgh Steelers is off the board, as New England Patriots wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk will miss the entire 2025 season due to a shoulder injury that requires surgery, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
Schultz notes that Polk saw multiple specialists, and surgery was determined to be the best course of action — with the goal of being fully healthy for 2026.
Polk, who was a second-round pick by the Patriots in 2024, was rumored as a potential cut or trade candidate due to his struggles and a deep wide receiver group in New England .
The Houston Texans , Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos were all tabbed as teams that could be opening to moving on from wide receivers as they are loaded at the position.
However, the Texans dealt wide receiver John Metchie III to the Philadelphia Eagles over the weekend, the Broncos traded wide receiver Devaughn Vele to the New Orleans Saints on Wednesday and the Packers have suffered several injuries at the position, likely diminishing any chances of them trading any of their healthy options. The Kansas City Chiefs also moved former second-round wide receiver Skyy Moore .
That leaves Steelers general manager Omar Khan with slim pickings to bolster the WR corps.
The Steelers and Buffalo Bills both hosted free agent wide receiver Gabe Davis over the last two days and appear to be firmly in the market to make an addition at the position. Other wide receiver-needy teams include the New York Jets , San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings .
There aren't a ton of players that are clearly on the trade block, with several teams that appeared to have wide receivers surpluses either having already traded away players like Houston and Denver, or going through a rash of injuries like the Green Bay Packers.
The combination of a large number of teams looking for talent and few with surpluses may make for a competitive roster cut-down trade period at the wide receiver position.
Alan Saunders and Aaron Becker contributed reporting for this story.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Another Potential Steelers WR Target is Off the Board
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