Ever since Ben Roethlisberger retired, the Pittsburgh Steelers have had one of the lowest-paid offenses in the NFL and one of the highest-paid defenses. That is a product of youth, with it being among the youngest offenses in the league. That could be set to change in a big way.
If the Steelers acquire Brandon Aiyuk in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers, they will likely pay him somewhere in the ballpark of $28 to $29 million per season, instantly putting him up there with T.J. Watt as the highest-paid players on the team. It would be a welcomed investment in the offense and give the team a much better chance at competing in 2024, but what effect would it have on George Pickens?
He is entering the third year of his rookie contract, so the Steelers would potentially be looking to extend him next offseason, but would they really commit nearly $55 to $60 million in average annual value to two receivers? That question is especially pertinent when considering the Steelers currently have no solidified quarterback plan beyond 2024.
According to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Steelers insider Gerry Dulac, Aiyuk’s hypothetical deal would have no bearing on the team’s decision regarding Pickens.
“If they make this deal, they’re going to sign Brandon Aiyuk, that’s gonna be part of the deal. They’re gonna sign him to a multi-year contract,” Dulac said via the North Shore Drive podcast on Post-Gazette Sports’ YouTube channel. “So now the question is, okay, how much are they gonna pay Brandon Aiyuk, and does that affect what they might pay George Pickens when his deal is up after 2025? I’ve been told it won’t have any impact whatsoever on George Pickens’ deal.”
He goes on to talk about the Steelers’ history when they do highly pay one of their wide receivers. When Hines Ward was paid in 2005, the Steelers let Plaxico Burress walk in free agency. When Antonio Brown was paid in 2012, Emmanuel Sanders and Mike Wallace were let walk in free agency. The Steelers have had good luck over the years at drafting and developing wide receivers, so it hasn’t made sense to commit such a large portion of the salary cap on two big wide receiver contracts.
The Steelers also have plenty of mouths to feed coming up. TE Pat Freiermuth will likely be extended before the start of the 2024 season. OLB T.J. Watt will be due next year for a large extension. DE Cameron Heyward is still holding out hope for an extension. RBs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren are both entering the final season of their rookie deals, though Warren can be retained through a restricted free agent tender for relatively cheap.
That is all without mentioning the fact that the Steelers are paying their quarterback room next to nothing. They will have to pay one of Russell Wilson or Justin Fields next year, and if they don’t they are back to the drawing board at quarterback.
“I’ve been told that it will not affect anything with George Pickens,” Dulac said. “After 2025, barring something unforeseen, they will pay him what they feel they need to pay him as their number one receiver. So Aiyuk’s deal won’t have any impact on George Pickens’ deal in another year.”
This is all just the contract side of things. There is another element that I’m sure will be heavily discussed if and when Aiyuk lands in Pittsburgh. That being, how does Pickens react to being the No. 2 receiver on the roster? For what figures to be a run-first offense, would there be enough targets to go around to keep both Pickens and Aiyuk happy?
I am not sure if I fully buy the idea that Aiyuk’s contract would have no bearing on Pickens’ future contract negotiations. That, along with the lack of a quarterback plan beyond 2024, are two of the big reasons that I have been hesitant about wanting this Aiyuk trade to take place. Are we so sure that Pickens won’t be the better of the two in the long run?
