Steelers Showed Major Interest In 1 Free Agent Receiver During 2018 Draft Process; Now His Price Revealed

The Pittsburgh Steelers sometimes have to make tough choices in the draft. Everyone wants to be highly drafted, but teams can't pick two players at the same time. Every draft pick leads to multiple other players getting even more anxious, waiting for their turn to be called up. In 2018, the Steelers drafted James Washington to add to an already-stacked receiving core. One player was devastated, as he believed that he would have been the next great receiver for the team. 

While on Marlon Humphrey's podcast, DJ Chark brought up his experience during the draft, and he talked everything during the draft process that made him think he would join the Steelers, especially in the early rounds.

"I had an idea. I said, 'Maybe I'll go to Pittsburgh.' They actually picked before [where I went]. The pick before I got picked to Jacksonville, they picked James Washington. So, when it was coming up, I was like 'Okay, I had a good relationship with them, talking to them.' My phone rang, and I thought it was them, but I saw the [area code] 904."

The Steelers always send Mike Tomlin and their general manager, who was Kevin Colbert at the time, to the colleges with the most intriguing prospects for them, and they both attended Chark's Pro Day at LSU. They both watched Chark run his drills and spoke to him during the process. It seemed like a good match, but in the end, the Steelers went for Washington, and the Jacksonville Jaguars picked him up right after that. 

Steelers Can Still Sign Chark

Entering April of 2024, Chark is still a free agent, and the Steelers are most likely not satisfied with their receiver room. They signed Van Jefferson and Quez Watkins for depth, but there are still some holes in the receiving core, with George Pickens being the only surefire starter at receiver. The Steelers could use him as the other outside receiver as they search for a slot option in the draft, or as stopgap option to keep the potential rookie from having too many snaps immediately.

However, with the signing of Jefferson, the Steelers will likely wait until after the draft before to sign Chark, if there is any interest. The 2024 draft class is supposedly stacked with receiver talent, and they can find their next high-end receiver there. Even if they do draft a receiver with a top pick, they can still sign Chark to compete with Jefferson for a roster spot. 

Steelers Projected Deal With Chark

According to Pro Football Focus, Chark is estimated to receive a two-year deal worth $13 million total, with $8.5 million in total guarantees. The Steelers have more than enough cap space to make that deal work, although they are known to not give out guarantees like that. With the Steelers' trends in signing free agents, they will likely give Chark little-to-no guaranteed money for the second year of the projected contract.

If the Steelers wait until after the draft to sign him, all those projected numbers could go down. The longer that a free agent goes unsigned, the less leverage he and his agent have. A two-year, $13 million deal could quickly turn into a one-year deal worth around $5 million, depending on the circumstances. The Steelers have made their fair share of signings in August, including Melvin Ingram and Kwon Alexander. They could play the waiting game with Chark as well.