Steelers Waiting For "Other Shoe To Drop In San Francisco"; Brandon Aiyuk Or Deebo Samuel Expected To Land In Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Steelers can't seem to escape being involved in every wide receiver trade rumor going on throughout the NFL. This has been a common theme ever since the organization parted ways with Diontae Johnson and sent him to the Carolina Panthers. Pittsburgh needs help at receiver, as George Pickens is the only reliable option at this point in the 2024 offseason. Pittsburgh has been connected to Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, and Courtland Sutton, as all options are still on the table.

Perhaps the strongest a trade rumor has been during the 2024 offseason was with Pittsburgh and Aiyuk. He is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and is awaiting a contract extension from the San Francisco 49ers. 

He has yet to make an appearance at Organized Team Activities (OTAs), and it doesn't seem like the two sides have been making any progress on a potential deal. Steelers insider for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Ray Fittipaldo, appeared on The Joe Starkey Show on Friday morning. He was asked if the Steelers are thinking about adding more talent at receiver.

"They will have a number two receiver on their roster come September, who is not on their roster now."

It's hard to imagine any of the receivers on the Steelers' roster making a large impact as the second receiving option. The best options would be Van Jefferson or a rookie in Roman Wilson, but it wouldn't be wise to rely on either player going into the 2024 season. Fittipaldo was then asked who he sees Pittsburgh acquiring to fill the role.

"I think it will be either Aiyuk or Samuel. I think there is another shoe to drop out there in San Francisco, they have too many good receivers."

San Francisco already has Samuel under contract, and they shocked a lot of fans when Jauan Jennings was signed to an extension before finding a way to ink Aiyuk. Jennings was the 49ers third receiver during the 2023 season, and they just signed him to a two-year deal with $10.5 million guaranteed. This move doesn't seem like the organization has plans to get Aiyuk his new deal.

Either Samuel or Aiyuk would improve the Steelers offense by a lot, but the preferable option for Pittsburgh would be Aiyuk. He is the better route runner, which would take a lot of the defensive pressure off of Pickens. Samuel is an amazing and versatile player, but he is two-years older than Aiyuk and has been more susceptible to injury. 

Aiyuk is coming off of his first All-Pro season, his confidence has never been higher throughout his NFL career. He recorded 1,342 yards and 7 touchdowns in 2023, which would be an insane amount of production to add to the Steelers offense. 

Aiyuk also does the thankless jobs, like down field blocking. Steelers fans should remember a long, Christian McCaffrey touchdown run that came against Pittsburgh in Week 1 of the 2023 season. Aiyuk threw multiple downfield blocks on that play that helped McCaffrey get in the end zone. This is important to note, due to the Steelers presumably run-heavy offense. 

Steelers Need To Worry About Two Factors When Trading For Aiyuk

Trading for a player like Aiyuk would be a major commitment from Pittsburgh. They would need to give up significant draft capital in the initial trade, and then sign Aiyuk to a multi-year extension. The draft picks Pittsburgh should have to give up will likely include a second round pick, paired with an early Day 3 selection. This isn't bad at all for a player of Aiyuk's caliber.

The issue with the trade has to do with the extension. Aiyuk's asking price has reportedly been astronomical, as he has wanted over $28 million per year. If his asking price doesn't come down, Samuel make start to make more sense for Pittsburgh since he is already under contract. 

Which 49ers receiver do you want the Steelers to acquire? Let us know in the comments below!

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