Steelers Still Seeking WR Trade, Brandon Aiyuk More Likely to Be Moved
The Pittsburgh Steelers are still seeking a wide receiver and Brandon Aiyuk seems more likely to be traded.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are continuing their pursuit of San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, and with the star receiver’s hold-in entering a third week, the chances of him being traded seem to have ticked slightly upward. San Francisco general manager John Lynch has been steadfast in saying that he does not want to trade his star wide receiver, but reporting out of the Bay Area suggests that he may now be more amenable to such a move than he was earlier this offseason.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports wrote that the chances of the 49ers moving on from Aiyuk are now greater than they had been, though he suggested potential trading partners that have NFL talent available to exchange.
The New England Patriots and Washington Commanders, two rebuilding teams, have been highly cited as potential landing spots for Aiyuk, and the Cleveland Browns, who could swap receivers by sending Amari Cooper to San Francisco, have also been touted as an option. The wide receiver-poor Steelers don’t have any such player they could send back to the 49ers, though they may be able to part with an offensive lineman, should that be something Lynch is looking for.
Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan reported on Monday that the Steelers are still “working hard” on a trade for Aiyuk. Steelers Now sources indicated at the beginning of training camp that the Steelers remain interested in acquiring Aiyuk or another wide receiver, but that trading for the San Francisco superstar seemed “unrealistic” at that time.
At the end of the day, the Steelers have two large hurdles to overcome when it comes to their chances of landing Aiyuk. To this point, the 49ers have not seemed to be motivated sellers. They are among the Super Bowl favorites, and can control Aiyuk for two more seasons after his contract is set to end next March if they want to. He appears to have very little leverage in his battle with the team for a new deal, and the fact that he reported to camp, even if he isn’t participating, suggests that he is unwilling to part with a significant amount of money now to make such a deal happen. The 49ers likely will not trade Aiyuk unless it appears that there is a real chance of him missing games due to his contract situation.
RELATED: Brandon Aiyuk Officially Requests Trade from 49ers
Secondly, the Steelers do not appear to be among the teams with the most to offer the 49ers in a potential trade. The Steelers built up their depth along the offense line with three top draft picks at that spot this spring, but outside of moving on from a vet like Dan Moore Jr. or Nate Herbig, there does not appear to be many superfluous pieces on the Pittsburgh roster. The 49ers are trying to win now and have little use for future draft picks at this point. Rebuilding teams that want to pair Aiyuk with a young quarterback like Washington or New England will have a significant advantage over Pittsburgh, because they aren’t trying to win right away and can afford to part with other roster pieces in order to get their young quarterback a consistent star receiver.
Finally, the Steelers would likely have to agree to pay Aiyuk what he is looking for long-term in order to make a deal work. The club has not historically valued receivers at the same amount as the rest of the league, and uncertainty at the quarterback position for the future would make a long-term bet on Aiyuk right now a questionable proposition.
"If Brandon Aiyuk doesn't wanna go to a team he can say I'm not taking that contract..
He has the ability to say no to these teams if he doesn't wanna go there" ~ @AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/utyNTS4971
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 5, 2024
The rest of the wide receiver trade market appears especially bleak, with even former first-round pick Treylon Burks likely now off the table after an injury to Tennessee Titans star DeAndre Hopkins. The Houston Texans appear to be one of the few teams with a tradable wide receiver surplus. The Steelers play the Texans to open their preseason schedule this week.
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