The fan base for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and pretty much the entire NFL landscape, is ready for the saga involving San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk to come to an end. The disgruntled pass-catcher had a career year in 2023 and wants to be paid as if he is one of the best at his position throughout the league. It appears as if General Manager Omar Khan closing in on a potential trade, but there have been no official reports from either team announcing that a deal has been confirmed. This begs the question: what has been the main factor holding everything up?
As of early Wednesday evening, there hadn’t been any official news regarding Aiyuk’s new home, but many believe that the situation could be resolved sooner rather than later. It’s possible that Pittsburgh has no interest in giving up a player, but the 49ers might be looking for a new threat in the receiving game in return. This opens up a dilemma that could only be resolved one way.
A media personality familiar with San Francisco, Brian Peacock, detailed this on social media. The key to this deal might not be someone that is currently with the Steelers or 49ers.
Trades involving three teams are not very popular in the NFL, but if the Steelers are not willing to give up any wideouts on the roster to land Aiyuk, another franchise may part ways with one for a draft pick. It’s all speculative, but it certainly would be fascinating for a random team to swoop in and help Khan and co. bring Aiyuk to the Steel City.
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Former Steelers cornerback Patrick Peterson allows a touchdown to Brandon Aiyuk of the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1 of 2023 during a contest at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA.
The Steelers have an impressive young wide receiver in George Pickens, but there isn’t a doubt in anyone’s mind that bringing Aiyuk to town would make the unit much scarier. If Pickens were to sign a contract extension in 2025, the duo would give opposing defenses nightmares for years. The cap space is there for Khan, it really just is a matter of what is needed to put the cherry on top.
The Houston Texans are an interesting team to bring up in this situation. John Metchie III, Robert Woods and Noah Brown are all capable wide receivers currently not listed as starters on the organization’s depth chart. One of those individuals could be expendable and draft capital could be important to a franchise that is on the rise and looking to compete for Super Bowls.
No one is quite sure what the overall hold up is, or if Aiyuk is definitely going to be a member of the Steelers, but signs are pointing in that direction. The final details that end up getting worked out will be interesting to dive into. A third party coming into the picture cannot be ruled out just yet.
Steelers Could Catapult To Top Offense With Addition Of Aiyuk
Pittsburgh has not been known for offense for the majority of the franchise’s history. Defense is the core of the Black and Gold, but in today’s NFL, powerful offenses are needed to win playoff games. The addition of Aiyuk wouldn’t put the Steelers in a conversation with a team like the Kansas City Chiefs, but it absolutely would bring up a different conversation when it comes to Head Coach Mike Tomlin‘s team.
