The Pittsburgh Steelers are gifting veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers with a new pass-catcher for his 42nd birthday. The Steelers claimed veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen off waivers after he and the Minnesota Vikings decided to part ways.
Rodgers and Thielen have seen plenty of each other in their careers. The Steelers quarterback played against Thielen twice per season in battles between the Green Bay Packers and the Vikings, but this is the first time the two players will be teammates.
The Steelers offense has been lacking in reliable pass catchers, and while this feels like putting an old band-aid over the problem, maybe it ends up sparking life into the offense. After being claimed, Thielen will join the active roster directly, and could play as soon as Week 14 against the Baltimore Ravens.
Here is more on how the addition of Thielen impacts the Steelers' wide receiver room.
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Steelers WR depth chart
| Position | Player Name |
| 1 | DK Metcalf |
| 2 | Calvin Austin III |
| 3 | Adam Thielen |
| 4 | Roman Wilson |
| 5 | Ben Skowronek |
| 6 | Scotty Miller |
DK Metcalf
Pittsburgh traded for Metcalf ahead of the 2025 regular season. The physical wide receiver was also signed to a five-year, $150 million contract. Through 12 games, he has brought in 45 of his 75 targets for 605 yards and five touchdowns. Metcalf leads the Steelers in both receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, but is currently on pace for the lowest receiving yardage of his career.
Calvin Austin III
Austin is the speedy slot receiver for the Steelers. He is 5-foot-9 and has played in 10 games this season, missing two with an injury. Austin has the third-most receiving yards on the team (278) with only two receiving touchdowns, tied for the third-most on the team.
Adam Thielen
Thielen spent the first nine years of his career with the Vikings before he signed as a free agent with the Carolina Panthers. Ahead of the 2025 season, the Panthers traded Thielen back to Minnesota. The veteran wide receiver didn't have the success he previously did. He played in 11 games, but only brought in eight of his 18 targets with 69 yards and no touchdowns before asking for his release.
Roman Wilson
Wilson is in his second season with the Steelers. He has seen action in all 12 games, but still hasn't fully translated his success at Michigan to the NFL. Wilson has brought in 12 of his 20 targets for 166 yards with two touchdowns on the season.
Ben Skowronek
Skowronek was a seventh-round pick by the Los Angeles Rams in the 2021 NFL Draft. He joined the Steelers ahead of the 2024 season. Last year, he had 69 receiving yards with no touchdowns on five receptions through 10 games. So far in 2025, Skowronek has 56 receiving yards and one touchdown on three receptions in 12 games.
Scotty Miller
Miller is the only other wide receiver on the roster with a reception for the Steelers. He only has one in eight games this season and it went for nine yards.
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Steelers WR stats
The biggest gripe for the Pittsburgh pass catchers through 12 games is that the wide receivers have tallied 1,114 receiving yards. Former Steelers wide receiver George Pickens is in his first season with the Dallas Cowboys after being traded. In 12 games, he himself has 1,142 receiving yards, the second-most in the NFL. Pickens has 28 more receiving yards than all of the wide receivers combined on his former team.
| Player | Receiving yards with Steelers |
| DK Metcalf | 605 |
| Calvin Austin III | 278 |
| Roman Wilson | 166 |
| Ben Skowronek | 56 |
| Scotty Miller | 9 |
| Adam Thielen | 0 |
Thielen was criticized for his lack of production in Minnesota. The veteran wide receiver joins the Steelers and his 69 yards this season rank as the fourth-most on the team.