To steal the Mike Tomlin phrase, never say never when it comes to San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. But to finish the Tomlin phrase, never. That’s essentially how The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly summed up the odds of the Steelers making a major splash by trading for Aiyuk sometime this summer. He joined 93.7 The Fan and was asked about the chances of a deal getting done.
“I would say very limited but once again, I’m not going to absolutely rule out anything,” Kaboly said of the odds via The Fan. “We all should’ve learned that over the past 18 months that anything is possible.”
Aiyuk is the top trade-rumor candidate heading into next week’s NFL draft. Though the 49ers have maintained they want to hold onto him, and reportedly haven’t entertained the idea of a trade (despite the Steelers reportedly having interest), someone is going to have to pay him. If it’s not the 49ers, it’ll be another team. But Kaboly sees the looming contract as more prohibitive than the draft capital required to make a potential deal happen.
“The key is do you want to be committed to a guy for $23, $24 million…and then in a year from now pay George Pickens very similar to that money,” he said.
A point Dave Bryan has made throughout the pre-draft process. Not only is there an issue in the average yearly value, making Aiyuk among the highest-paid receivers in the game, but the structure of the deal is also an obstacle. Would Pittsburgh pay guaranteed money past the first year, something only reserved for quarterbacks or true top-end deals like T.J. Watt? If the Steelers wouldn’t budge, a deal probably wouldn’t happen.
Still, the Steelers need a receiver. There’s no question about that. And Kaboly thinks they’ll find another path.
“I think they’ll go something a little cheaper. Or at least try to,” he said.
A Day 2 draft pick seems like the frontrunner for the team to find a starter next to Pickens. The Steelers’ sweet spot has been a second- or third-round pick on the position. It’s how they found their 2023 starters in Pickens and Diontae Johnson, second- and third-round selections, respectively. Pittsburgh’s done its homework on that group highlighted by Florida’s Ricky Pearsall, South Carolina’s Xavier Legette, Western Kentucky’s Malachi Corley, and Michigan’s Roman Wilson.
