In his latest Q&A, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette hinted that the Pittsburgh Steelers have been poking around at a trade for a top-flight receiver. Of course, nothing has come to fruition yet, but Dulac speculates that the Steelers made a few phone calls about All-Pro wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who was dealt by the Buffalo Bills to the Houston Texans for a 2025 second-round pick (via Minnesota), while Houston got a 2024 sixth-rounder and a 2025 fifth-round pick to Houston along with Diggs.
“I don’t know that for certain, but I would imagine, given their desire to find a proven WR, they made a few phone calls,” Dulac wrote when asked if the Steelers were interested in trading for Diggs
Dulac’s suggestion lines up with the rumor that the Steelers kicked the tires on San Francisco 49ers star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
Aiyuk sparked speculation last month when he sent a message to Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin on X, stating “@CoachTomlin they saying we twins. What you think?”
But 49ers general manager John Lynch, who ran into Tomlin at Michigan pro day, threw cold water on the trade rumors, stating nothing is happening there.
“I promise you, nothing’s going on there,” Lynch said of the trade rumors at the NFL owner’s meetings in late March. “We’re actually talking to Brandon to try and figure something out. You know, we have a good history of working with the guys that we want to get done to get something done. So, can we do that? We’ll see. There’s a number of different directions that could go. But we appreciate the heck out of Brandon and what he is as a player. We want him to be a part of the Niners, so we’re going to work towards making that a reality.”
The Diontae Johnson trade to the Carolina Panthers certainly left a massive hole for the Steelers at the wide receiver position. George Pickens and Calvin Austin III are the Steelers only returning receivers that received playing time in 2023.
They’ve signed veteran receivers Van Jefferson and Quez Watkins this offseason, but they don’t really move the needle. Cordarrelle Patterson also signed with Pittsburgh, but he’s expected to be the team’s No. 3 running back.
With the free-agent wide receiver market dried up, it appears that the Steelers will address the position via the draft.
So far, the Steelers have brought wide receivers Ricky Pearsall of Florida, Xavier Legette of South Carolina, Malachi Corley of Western Kentucky, Tahj Washington of USC and Luke McCaffrey of Rice in for pre-draft visits.
Dulac wrote in last week’s chat that the Steelers really wanted former Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams in free agency, but he signed with the New York Jets.
Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan reported last week that the Steelers offered former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd a two-year contract in the range of $10 million. The two sides couldn’t compromise on compensation, however. Mark Kaboly of The Athletic has heard that the “ship has sailed” between Boyd and the Steelers.