The Pittsburgh Steelers are still deep in the Brandon Aiyuk sweepstakes. There are plenty of questions about their receiving core, but they could all be answered if they acquire an All-Pro receiver like Aiyuk.
The problem is that the San Francisco 49ers want to keep him, and the Steelers aren’t the only team that wants to trade for him. A little persuasion could help with that issue.
Steelers safety Damontae Kazee prepares to make a tackle on San Fransico 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk during a Week 1 contest in 2023.
Aiyuk appeared on The Pivot to talk about the situation that he is currently in. Ryan Clark asked him what uniform he expects to be in for the 2024 season, and he gave his top three options for where he would most likely end up.
“Probably a [4]9ers uniform. If not a 9ers uniform, then probably a Washington Commander uniform. If not a Washington uniform, then probably a Steelers uniform.”
Of course, Aiyuk would want to get a deal done with the team that he spent five years with. His next option would be to play with his good friend, Jayden Daniels, who is the quarterback for the Washington Commanders. The Steelers have also known to be aggressive and at least ask on every big-name player that they can, so they could swoop in and take Aiyuk.
Steelers General Manager Omar Khan picks up the phone in the team’s war room during the 2023 NFL Draft weekend.
Clark Promotes Steelers As A Better Choice For Aiyuk
After Aiyuk listed off his top teams, Clark just prayed that the last option would happen, and then he went on and tried to sell the idea that Pittsburgh is a much better place to go than Washington.
“From your lips to God’s ears: Steeler uniform. Listen, they cut people. They ain’t got nobody but George Pickens. We got two new quarterbacks. We got a new offensive coordinator. You don’t want to go to Washington. They live in Virginia anyway, then you got to deal with [Jayden Daniels] all the time. There is no reason to be there, but Pittsburgh? You’d be a god.”
Clark then got in a conversation with one of his co-hosts about how he’s trying to sell the idea of Aiyuk to Pittsburgh, and how explosive that new offense would be the trade were to happen.
“We’ve been making moves. If Brandon goes to Pittsburgh, we got George Pickens, you got [Brandon Aiyuk], Najee [Harris], Jaylen [Warren] in the backfield, [Pat] Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, nothing but dogs up front [on the offensive line].”
There is no denying that Aiyuk would be an instant upgrade to the Steelers’ receiver room, especially since Van Jefferson is projected to be the team’s starting receiver outside of George Pickens. Even with a pair of question marks fighting for the starting quarterback position, an elite receiver like Aiyuk could take this constantly lackluster offense to heights that they haven’t seen since the Killer B’s era.
Steelers’ trade candidate Brandon Aiyuk makes a spectacular hurdle over Eagles’ defender.
If it was that easy, the trade would have been done by now. There are still many hurdles that the Steelers need to clear, both in and out of their control. Aiyuk still anticipates sticking with the 49ers before being traded. Even if he does get traded, the Commanders may offer more than what the Steelers are willing to, and he would be more than happy to re-unite with his college quarterback from many years ago.
If the Steelers do pull off a trade with the 49ers, they will most likely have to pay Aiyuk what he wants, and he wants to be one of the highest-paid receivers in the entire NFL. While they have the cap to do it, who knows how willing they are to give him a blank check? Hopefully, Clark’s testimony will help guide Aiyuk to Pittsburgh, and maybe they can work out a contract for slightly less than what he wants.
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