Pittsburgh Steelers News & Rumors

8:15pm: The Steelers are now waiting on the 49ers to see if an agreement can still be reached, per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette. A main reason for the hold up, he adds, is the fact San Francisco wants a receiver as part of the package in return. Pittsburgh is not able to meet that request, but The Athletic’s Dianna Russini adds the 49ers are “open” to taking back players at another position. It will be interesting to see if that flexibility will keep the door open to an Aiyuk swap being worked out.

8:41am: One of the most discussed receiver offseasons this side of Antonio Brown‘s 2019, the Brandon Aiyuk saga remains in a holding pattern. The second-team All-Pro is still a 49er, holding in as he angles for a contract that — for now, at least — San Francisco has deemed unreasonable.

While the Patriots are believed to have prepared a big extension offer as they and the Browns discussed the disgruntled wideout with the 49ers, the Steelers have re-emerged. Although the Steelers have traded the likes of Brown, Chase Claypool, Diontae Johnson and Santonio Holmes, they are not known for splashy trades that bring in pass catchers. But they are still in the Aiyuk mix.

A Wednesday report indicated Aiyuk is interested in joining the Steelers, but they may not be offering what would be necessary on either front here. As far as Pittsburgh’s offers (in terms of trade compensation and extension-wise), Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes neither are overly high. The trade offer appealing to the 49ers would not stand to make the latter number matter much to the NFC West club, as the John Lynch-led front office has negotiated with Aiyuk for months. No real progress is believed to have emerged, pointing to San Francisco establishing a clear value on its 2023 receiving leader.

The Steelers are not believed to be interested in sending the 49ers any players for Aiyuk, though they do have a recent history of parting with a first-round pick in a trade. Pittsburgh sent Miami its 2020 first-round pick for Minkah Fitzpatrick — in a trade that also sent picks back to the Steelers — early during the 2019 season. That came under GM Kevin Colbert, who was a bit more hesitant about outside acquisitions compared to successor Omar Khan. The latter was in Pittsburgh’s front office when Fitzpatrick was acquired.

An extension represents the key difference between the Fitzpatrick move and what an Aiyuk swap would require. The Steelers would need to not only part with high-end draft capital to obtain Aiyuk and would also need to work out a monster extension — almost definitely one that would make the fifth-year player a top-five receiver in terms of AAV and guarantees — as part of the deal or soon after. The 49ers’ known offer(s) have come in around the $26-$27MM-per-year mark, prompting this hold-in. It is unclear what San Francisco has proposed in terms of guaranteed money, though Aiyuk is believed to be angling for an A.J. Brown-level commitment. The Eagles gave Brown $84MM guaranteed in April; only Justin Jefferson ($110MM) has topped that.

Pittsburgh’s Johnson trade has cleared the decks on offense; no Steeler offensive talent is tied to an eight-figure-per-year contract. Pat Freiermuth is on the team’s extension radar, however, and George Pickens will become extension-eligible in 2025. Although the Steelers do not have a notable quarterback number on their payroll, Pickens is moving close to becoming quite expensive. That would stand to complicate a monster Aiyuk extension offer.

The 49ers would likely need to see an eye-opening trade proposal to part with a player who can help them win an elusive Super Bowl. Amari Cooper being mentioned in a Browns swap would intrigue on that front, but the Steelers have dominated Aiyuk trade talk since the Cleveland connection surfaced. Absent difference-making trade terms, the 49ers may well play this out and keep Aiyuk on his fifth-year option — with a tag-and-trade move in 2025 conceivably on the table as well. We continue to wait on anything happening here.

The Steelers remain a team to watch closely with respect to Brandon Aiyuk. The 49ers wideout has drawn considerable attention in recent days, but plenty is unresolved at this time.

Pittsburgh is one of a number of teams engaged in ongoing negotiations with San Francisco, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports. The Steelers were not initially mentioned in Monday’s report regarding the framework being worked out on a trade. The Browns were named in that respect, along with the Patriots. New England is now believed to be out of the running, however.

The Patriots do not represent Aiyuk’s intended landing spot, something which may be the case for the Steelers. Pittsburgh has long been considered a contender to land the 26-year-old, and the team re-engaged in negotiations in the wake of Cleveland and New England making progress. While this situation remains fluid, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette confirms no agreement – formal or informal – is currently in place between the Steelers and 49ers.

Dulac adds that if a trade is to be worked out for Aiyuk, the Steelers will not include any players in the package coming back to San Francisco. Cleveland’s ability to acquire the Arizona State alum could require Amari Cooper heading the other way, but no comparable wideout exists for the Steelers. Pittsburgh already traded away Diontae Johnson earlier in the offseason.

That move (which was followed up by the release of Allen Robinson) has led to many naming the Steelers as a logical landing spot for a receiver. Aiyuk would certainly add considerable pedigree to a WR room led by George Pickens and third-round rookie Roman Wilson at the position as things stand. Pittsburgh is expected to rely on a run-heavy approach under new OC Arthur Smith in 2024, but Aiyuk has a pair of 1,000-yard campaigns to his name.

San Francisco entertained trade calls for both the former first-rounder and Deebo Samuel at the draft, though no deals were struck. The 49ers have several big-money commitments on offense already, and quarterback Brock Purdy will be eligible for an extension next offseason. Aiyuk is due $14.12MM in 2024 on the fifth-year option, but an extension will check in at a much higher rate.

The Patriots were reportedly willing to eclipse $28MM per season on a multi-year deal, and a New England agreement would have served the notable purpose (from San Francisco’s perspective) of sending him to an AFC team. Despite not having a no-trade clause, Aiyuk’s preference in this case appears to carry notable weight. Whether a potential desire to continue his career in Pittsburgh results in a trade will continue to be a top storyline for the Steelers and 49ers.