Could Bucs WR Trey Palmer Be On The Move?

Could the Bucs explore trading wide receiver Trey Palmer this offseason?

Apparently Tampa Bay could have a potential suitor in the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have reportedly inquired about the third-year wide receiver in an effort to boost their offensive weaponry.

Jobe Morrison of Steelers Now reported that Mike Tomlin’s team has probed the Bucs about possibly trading for Palmer this offseason.

Yet Bucs sources I spoke with on Friday morning said that they are unaware of any inquiries by the Steelers about Palmer’s availability via trade.

The Steelers already acquired D.K. Metcalf in a trade with the Seahawks this offseason, but then sent mercurial starting receiver George Pickens to the Cowboys. So Pittsburgh could use another weapon on offense and Palmer, who was the No. 3 receiver in Tampa Bay as a rookie in 2023, could be an option.

With the drafting of wide receivers Emeka Egbuka in the first round and Tez Johnson in the seventh round, the Bucs are absolutely flush at wide receiver and it would be very difficult for Palmer to make the 53-man roster this season.

So why not trade Palmer away and get a late Day 3 draft pick for him? The Steelers are flush with 12 draft picks in 2026, including seven on Day 3 – three of which (fourth, fifth and sixth) are expected to be compensatory selections.

Trey Palmer Is In Danger Of Not Making The Bucs’ Roster In 2025

With Tampa Bay drafting two wide receivers in April it has become increasingly unlikely that Trey Palmer, a sixth-round pick in 2023, would make the active roster this season. If the Bucs keep five wide receivers the depth chart seems already set with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin as the starters, first-round pick Emeka Egbuka as WR3 and Jalen McMillan, last year’s third-round pick, as WR4.

Tez Johnson, who excels as a punt returner, is likely the front-runner for WR5. Especially since he is also a very capable receiver with back-to-back 10-touchdown seasons at Oregon.

Should the Bucs keep six wide receivers on the 53-man roster, Palmer would be in a dogfight with Kameron Johnson, an undrafted free agent that the team remains high on, in addition to 32-year old veteran Sterling Shepard and Ryan Miller, who is fabulous blocker and also scored his first two NFL touchdowns last year.

Palmer had a solid rookie season with 39 receptions for 385 yards (9.9 avg.) and three touchdowns. But his 4.33 speed was rarely on display, evidenced by a receiving average that was just under 10 yards per catch. Palmer and quarterback Baker Mayfield had trouble connecting on the deep ball all season and it didn’t get any better in 2024.

The arrival of McMillan set up a training camp battle for WR3 and Palmer lost badly. The drops and ball security issues that occurred during Palmer’s rookie season didn’t go away in 2024 and McMillan easily won the WR3 role behind Evans and Godwin. McMillan had 37 catches for 461 yards (12.5 avg.) and eight touchdowns as a rookie while Palmer slid down the depth chart.

Bucs WR Trey Palmer – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

At times, Miller, Shepard and Rakim Jarrett got more reps than Palmer did and he finished the 2024 season with only 12 catches for 172 yards (14.3 avg.) and one touchdown. What was also disappointing about Palmer’s 2024 season was that he took over as the team’s punt returner and averaged a pedestrian 8.8 yards per return with a long of 17 yards. Again, Palmer’s blazing speed was never truly on display in the return game.