If the Pittsburgh Steelers miss on Brandon Aiyuk, they might not be done swinging. While Aiyuk is the biggest wide receiver price, NFL insider Albert Breer believes the team’s search for wide receiver help should Aiyuk re-sign with San Francisco.
Opining about the Steelers’ situation in a Wednesday mailbag for Sports Illustrated, Breer thinks Pittsburgh will pivot from Aiyuk to the field.
“While we’re there, I do think the Steelers will keep looking for options at wide receiver—if the Brandon Aiyuk situation doesn’t work out for them.
And a sign of where they are at the position is how they rebuffed the San Francisco 49ers’ request for a player as part of any potential trade—which is why the Niners looked around at potential second trades, moving one of the picks coming from Pittsburgh—if they’d decided to take the Steelers’ offer (which was in the neighborhood of second- and third-round draft picks).
I think there will be some options out there for them.”
As time runs out, Pittsburgh remains in a standstill waiting on the 49ers and Aiyuk to determine a path forward. Either Aiyuk will re-sign with San Francisco, the two sides remain in talks, or he’ll be traded to the Steelers for a couple of Day Two selections. If the latter happens, Pittsburgh’s problems are solved and they’ll head into 2024 with George Pickens, Van Jefferson, Roman Wilson, and Aiyuk as their top four (though not in that order).
But if they miss out on Aiyuk, they’ll need to search for a second-tier option. Breer doesn’t specify who those options are, though we cans scour depth charts to see who makes sense. The Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers are deep at the position. Houston could unload WR Xavier Hutchinson or John Metchie III. Mike Tomlin attended Hutchinson’s Iowa State Pro Day in 2023 and though that felt more like a matter of happenstance, there was still some level of interest. He caught just eight passes as a rookie and his spot could be squeezed out by the offseason addition of Stefon Diggs and the other impact names on the roster.
In Green Bay, perhaps Bo Melton is on the bubble after a poor preseason performance against the Denver Broncos. Pittsburgh could also look for gunner help. Should he be cut by the New York Giants, a reunion with Miles Boykin might be in order.
But clearly, none of those names come close to Aiyuk. None would probably surpass Jefferson as the No. 2 wideout. The closest “big” names, relatively speaking, the team could consider are the Tennessee Titans’ Treylon Burks and the Indianapolis Colts’ Alec Pierce. That’s assuming either are for sale.
Despite Breer’s optimism, the Steelers may be stuck relying on their own roster instead of someone else’s to improve their passing game. That means featuring TE Pat Freiermuth as a wide receiver, standing him up more than ever before, and piecing together the No. 2 target share between multiple people instead of counting on an individual.
