With the NFL trade deadline looming, the Pittsburgh Steelers are honing in on three wide receivers, according to Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda.
“Sources have attached the names of three receivers the team will look to trade for. They include Darius Slayton of the New York Giants, Mike Williams of the New York Jets and Courtland Sutton of the Denver Broncos,” Pauline wrote.
After an impressive outing in Monday night’s loss to the Steelers, Mike Garafalo of NFL Network reports that the Giants are unlikely to trade Slayton and would have to be “blown away” by the trade offer to do so. Slayton had four receptions for 108 yards against Pittsburgh.
Pauline hears that the Steelers are very intrigued by Sutton. Sutton played with Russell Wilson in Denver and the two have a close relationship.
“I am told the Steelers have a lot of interest in the Broncos wideout, but it’s a matter of the team meeting Denver’s asking price, which I’m told is high,” Pauline wrote.
Sutton signed a four-year, $60.8 million contract extension with the Broncos in 2021 that has two seasons remaining. The 28-year-old is set to earn $13.6 million this season and $14 million next season in the final two years of the deal, but only $2 million of that is guaranteed. Sutton is seeking some long-term stability, and said he’d like that to happen in Denver. The Broncos are 5-3 right now, too, so it seems unlikely that Sean Payton would part ways with his top receiver.
Pauline also dropped an interesting nugget that Williams might not be a great fit in Pittsburgh.
“Williams could be a contingency plan if the Steelers can’t swing a deal for either Slayton or Sutton. A lot of people don’t feel it’s a great fit, but Pittsburgh wants another pass catcher,” he wrote.
The Steelers were among a number of teams to reach out to the Jets about Williams. The two teams put trade talks on hold just before the clubs faced off against one another in Week 7 and it’s been quiet on that front since.
Jets wide receiver Allen Lazard, who was placed on the injured reserve list on Thursday with a chest injury, could take Williams off the trade block, however.
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The Steelers have been desperately seeking help at the wide receiver position since trading Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers back in March. The club notably tried and failed to land San Francisco 49ers star Brandon Aiyuk before the season. Aiyuk has since suffered a season-ending knee injury.
Omar Khan and company were also involved in talks to land Las Vegas Raiders star Davante Adams, but he was instead traded to the New York Jets last week. The Steelers also missed out on Tennessee Titans veteran DeAndre Hopkins, who was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Steelers were considered the favorites to land Cooper Kupp, but his performance in a Los Angeles Rams upset victory on Thursday seems to have him off the market. Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk suffered a season-ending collarbone injury this weekend, taking himself off the market.
Calvin Austin III had two touchdowns in Monday night’s win over the Giants — a 73-yard punt return and a 29-yard reception. He finished with three receptions for 54 yards and a touchdown, while Van Jefferson caught four passes for 62 yards. With Austin and Jefferson playing better with Russell Wilson at quarterback, Khan might feel comfortable with the receiving corps as it is.
“Since OTAs, since training camp, each individual player, receiver, we feel how we feel. We’re all competitors. We gonna always bank on us, regardless,” Austin said.