Who would the Steelers trade for Brandon Aiyuk?
If you’re a Steelers fan on the internet reading about the Steelers, you’re probably reading a lot about Brandon Aiyuk. The San Francisco 49ers wide receiver recently formally asked for a trade, so obviously he’s coming here. He wore a Pirates hat in that one Instagram story or something, after all, didn’t he?
The odds of the Steelers trading for Aiyuk are, I think, incredibly low, and that’s largely on the 49ers. They don’t have as much incentive to trade for him anymore, since they can’t benefit this year from draft picks. That’s why many people discussing a possible trade for Aiyuk are now talking about trading players.
So let’s say the Steelers really are in the market to acquire Brandon Aiyuk via trade, and they know that they have to trade a decent player away to get him. Who would they really be willing to trade? I’ve heard Alex Highsmith’s game come up, though more so early on than recently. The more popular name in recent days has been Nick Herbig, the third outside linebacker behind Highsmith.
Highsmith, by the way, is a very unreasonable trade candidate as the team restructured his contract earlier in the offseason. Trading Highsmith would result in $22.408 million in dead salary cap money. $5.602 million would be charged in 2024 and another $16.806 million charged in 2025. In short, he’s not going anywhere.
Other names I’ve heard in Aiyuk trade discussions are on the offensive line, from Dan Moore Jr. to James Daniels. Daniels himself said the Steelers won’t extend him and basically expect to lose him next year. The 49ers may well expect to lose Aiyuk in 2025 as well.
This might actually be the most plausible trade, although I admit I haven’t given a great deal of thought as to whether the 49ers need a starting guard. But we’re talking about a starter-for-starter trade in the final years of their deals from whom they will move on. Daniels is still pretty young, only a few months older than Aiyuk.
The Steelers would still have to figure out what draft compensation they can deal, but they can get by without Daniels. Nate Herbig could start at right guard, or potentially rookie Mason McCormick. Or Spencer Anderson, potentially, who worked at guard in the spring.
Of course, this isn’t going to happen, most likely—trading for Brandon Aiyuk, at all—but hey, training camp’s coming.
The Steelers’ 2024 season is approaching, following another disappointing year that culminated in a playoff loss. The only change-up in the annual formula lately is whether they miss the playoffs altogether. They have had a long offseason since the Buffalo Bills stamped them out of their misery back in January.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Does Russell Wilson make them a Super Bowl-caliber team, or are they wasting a year? How will the team continue to address the depth chart?
The Steelers are past free agency and the draft and their roster for the 2024 season is coming into focus. They made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
