The Pittsburgh Steelers went into the 2024 offseason with questions about their wide receiver core. More questions popped up once the team traded Diontae Johnson away to the Carolina Panthers. Many people believed that they would take a wide receiver early in the 2024 NFL Draft, due to the fact that the receiver position is stacked this year, as well as the fact that the Steelers have a history of drafting stud receivers in the middle rounds. However, the organization appears to be moving in a completely different direction, according to a new report.
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Former Pittsburgh 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.
Benjamin Allbright posted a small text thread from March onto his X account that shows that the Steelers would have some interest in one of the top receivers on the trade block.
👀 pic.twitter.com/261FS6DjhL
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) April 13, 2024
According to Allbright, Pittsburgh has been in negotiations with the San Francisco 49ers in an attempt to land Brandon Aiyuk to bolster their receiving room. Aiyuk has been a key contributor to a stacked roster that just led the 49ers to an NFC Championship and a Super Bowl appearance. He is also coming off of a career year, totaling 75 receptions for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns.
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San Francisco 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk looks to make a move to beat Pittsburgh Steelers safety Damontae Kazee in a regular season game in 2023.
The rumor mill has been swirling since Aiyuk made his own post on X claiming that people say he looks like Head Coach Mike Tomlin. Aiyuk had not posted anything online in years, so that comment jumped out at everyone as a potential plea to play for Pittsburgh. His family also made a series of posts that called for him to be traded after his lack of usage in Super Bowl LVIII.
How Would The Steelers Negotiate A Deal For Aiyuk?
After the Buffalo Bills only received a future second-round pick for trading away Stefon Diggs, Aiyuk's value most likely went down. The fact that Aiyuk is in a contract year would also be a problem, as there is no guarantee that the Steelers meet his contract demands before he becomes a free agent; which means that he might just end up being a rental, and the Steelers would not want to give up a top pick for a rental.
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Steelers General Manager Omar Khan picks up the phone in the team's war room during the 2023 NFL Draft weekend.
Aiyuk definitely has value, as he managed to haul in over 1,300 receiving yards on a team that is full of other weapons for Brock Purdy to use. He is a very talented player that would be an instant upgrade for the Steelers' receiving core. He would most likely be the team's top receiver due to him being much more consistent than George Pickens has been.
What do you think about the Steelers being in negotiations with the 49ers to trade for Brandon Aiyuk? Let us know in the comments below.
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