Is Brandon Aiyuk leaving the Steelers’ Pat Freiermuth and other extension candidates in a holding pattern?
The Pittsburgh Steelers are holding their last open practice today, and they haven’t worked out an extension with Pat Freiermuth. In fact, they haven’t signed anybody to an extension or any notable deal. While they still have time—and things may already be “done”—it’s easy to wonder if it’s Brandon Aiyuk holding everything up.
More specifically, is the Brandon Aiyuk trade situation causing the Steelers to put extensions with players like Pat Freiermuth on the backburner? The San Francisco 49ers are still trying to negotiate with him, but they have a potential trade in place. All they reportedly have to do is give the Steelers a “yes”, and the rest falls into place.
That yes would have tremendous implications for the Steelers, including the salary cap. While A Year 1 cap hit on a Freiermuth deal wouldn’t necessarily be exorbitant, knowing whether they have to account for an Aiyuk cap hit would be good to know.
It’s quite possible that the Steelers already have a deal in place for Pat Freiermuth, or a range of options. A Brandon Aiyuk contract may dictate which option they decide to go with in structuring the salary cap. And of course Freiermuth isn’t the only player who wanted an extension—remember Cameron Heyward? There is Najee Harris, too, and the two of them have played good soldier since camp opened.
While the Steelers don’t negotiate contracts in-season, they will do so all the way onto the plane for the opener. They still have weeks to work anything out, but they probably want a resolution with Aiyuk and the 49ers first. That doesn’t mean they haven’t continued to have negotiations, and really, they’re free to do so right now.
The thing is, the Steelers are done talking to Aiyuk and the 49ers. They have submitted their trade and contract offers; all they are doing now is waiting for an answer. The only holdup dealing with other players like Pat Freiermuth is simply not knowing the cap implications of that answer.
The Steelers’ 2024 season is approaching, following another disappointing year that culminated in a first-round playoff loss. The only change-up in the annual formula lately is whether they exit early or 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 in training camp and the preseason and 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. Some they managed to fill, others not so much. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
