The Pittsburgh Steelers have been linked to just about every wide receiver who’s been mentioned as a possible trade candidate, and the 49ers’ duo of Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel have been popular names linked to Pittsburgh. While the Steelers reportedly thought that they had a deal in place with San Francisco during the draft, nothing has come to fruition, and as we sit here in June, the Steelers haven’t seemed to make progress on a receiver trade. During his weekly chat, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote that he doesn’t view a trade for Samuel as viable for the Steelers.
“I don’t think Deebo is realistic,” Dulac wrote in response to a question about a possible trade for Samuel.
While the Steelers wouldn’t have to turn around and extend Samuel as they would with Aiyuk — he’s signed through 2026 with two voidable years attached to the end of his contract — he’s still expensive given that he signed a new deal in 2022. The Steelers might not want to trade valuable draft assets for Samuel and then have to pay him to be their No. 2 receiver.
Given the fact that there hasn’t been much talk about a trade in recent weeks, it just feels that it’s unlikely to happen at this point. With Aiyuk sitting out of mandatory minicamp, he might be a more realistic option, but the Steelers would likely have to turn around and make him the highest-paid player on the roster with a new extension. Given the inflating wide receiver market, a trade for a receiver of Samuel or Aiyuk’s caliber just might not be in the cards for the Steelers right now.
The wide receiver room does look like it needs an upgrade, but the group has gotten good reviews so far for what it has done in OTAs. With Arthur Smith not utilizing three-receiver sets all that often, the Steelers could probably get by with what they currently have. It’s not ideal, but it seems like a likelier scenario right now than making a trade for a high-profile receiver to play opposite of George Pickens.
We do have a little over three months until the start of the season, and a lot can change in the coming months and a trade could still happen. But as it stands right now, it doesn’t seem as likely as it might have during the draft.
