Steelers WR James Washington evasive about trade request

The Pittsburgh Steelers have one of the deepest wide receiver groups in the NFL. the perfect example of this is James Washington. Despite being the team’s second-round pick in 2018, Washington has had limited opportunities in this passing offense.

Along those lines, there was a report going around that Washington had requested a trade and was unhappy with his role in the offense. After practice on Wednesday, Washington was asked about both and his answers didn’t really clear up anything.

When asked about a trade Washington said, “that’s a private conversation. As far as me being happy in Pittsburgh, I love it here. who wouldn’t be happy playing football as their job? I come to work every day with a smile on my face.”

Translation: He did inquire about a trade but it didn’t sound like the Steelers were interested in making that happen. Maybe they agreed to include him more in the offense, which was another question. “It’s been talked about,” Washington said when asked about getting more playing time.

Washington has had to share the field with some talented players since coming into the NFL. Nevertheless, all Washington has done in his career is make plays when given the opportunities. Washington’s best season was 2019 when he hauled in 44 passes for 735 yards and an impressive 16.7 yards per catch. Keep in mind, this was the season where Ben Roethlisberger missed 14 games and Washington was catching passes from Mason Rudolph and Duck Hodges.