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Steelers Ink New Veteran Receiver Van Jefferson To One-Year Contract

Originally posted on Steeler Nation
By Justin McGonigle, Owner | Last updated 3/15/24

The Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver room was looking pretty bare after the team released veteran Allen Robinson, and traded away number one receiver, Diontae Johnson. Now, they're reportedly adding one to it and have agreed to a deal with receiver Van Jefferson.

According to a report on X, the team has come to terms with Jefferson on a one-year contract. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writer, Gerry Dulac was the first to report the news.

Steelers are signing WR Van Jefferson, a former No. 2 draft choice of the Rams in 2020, to a one-year deal, per sources. Move is for depth purposes.
— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) March 15, 2024

As Dulac noted, the move is for depth, and not an immediate answer for the team trading Johnson to the Carolina Panthers. Jefferson was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He was with the Rams until he was traded to the Atlanta Falcons after the first five weeks of the 2023 season. That's where he played under new Steelers offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith.

Between the Falcons and Rams, Jefferson caught a total of 20 passes for 213 yards. Jefferson's best season came in 2021 when he caught 50 passes for 802 yards and six touchdowns.

93.7 The Fan radio host, Dorin Dickerson called it a "good move" on X citing that Jefferson is a smart player, and a real student of the game.

"Played underneath his dad, Shawn (10 year NFL WR) at the Senior Bowl," Dickerson wrote. "Was the WR coach with the Titans while I was there (when I was a TE and my coach was Arthur Smith). Van is a student of the game. Good get by the Steelers."

Jefferson comes from an NFL family as Dickerson mentioned. His father Shawn spent 10 years in the NFL playing for San Diego, New England, and Atlanta. He's now been a coach around the NFL since 2006.

More to come.

This article first appeared on SteelerNation.com and was syndicated with permission.

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