Brandon Aiyuk has been the wide receiver most rumored to end up with the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason, but he might not be their only option. The Steelers weakest link at the moment is receiver, with the room consisting of George Pickens and a handful of question marks. There is no definitive No. 2 option, and the Steelers know they need to add another productive body to that room. One former Steelers offensive tackle believes that Mike Tomlin could be a big selling point for them to land a player like Las Vegas Raiders receiver Davante Adams.
Ryan Harris played tackle in the NFL from 2007 to 2016, spending that last year with the Steelers after winning Super Bowl 50 with the Denver Broncos the previous season. Now, Harris spends time working as an analyst, and on a recent appearance on CBS Sports HQ, he spoke about teams that could potentially trade for Adams. He floated the Steelers name out there, even though they haven’t been as connected to Adams as they have been with Aiyuk, because of the way players view Tomlin.
“The Pittsburgh Steelers could use Davante Adams, and players love playing for Mike Tomlin, as I did when I was a Steeler,” Harris said. “Sometimes that comes into play as well.”
Tomlin’s positive reputation among people in the NFL is well-known, and Harris isn’t the first person to comment how much they enjoyed playing for him. He has his issues as a coach, but motivation and honesty are what make Tomlin special. If he does get traded, Adams won’t have final say on where he goes, but he could provide the Raiders with a list of teams he’d be most comfortable going to. The Steelers don’t have the best quarterback situation in the league, but the opportunity to play with Tomlin could tempt Adams.
However, this is all speculation at the moment, even more so than with Aiyuk, because Adams hasn’t even requested a trade yet. Even if he does, the running theory around the league is that he’ll want to reunite with his former quarterback Aaron Rodgers with the New York Jets. Considering Adams and Rodgers made magic together with the Green Bay Packers for eight years, that desire might supersede any respect Adams has for Tomlin.
Although Adams has been one of the best receivers in the league for multiple years now, including last year when he had bad quarterbacks throwing to him, he might not make sense for the Steelers. Adams will turn 32 during this season, and he has several years left on his current contract. Presumably, it would still take a decent amount of draft capital to trade for him, too. Overall, while it’s a fun scenario, if the Steelers are going to trade for a big-time receiver, Aiyuk is likelier and makes more sense than Adams.
