The Brandon Aiyuk saga is over. But come on in, Steeler Nation. The party is just getting started.
For months, and all of August, the Aiyuk story was non-stop. Will he re-sign? Will he be traded to Pittsburgh? There were moments where it seemed either scenario was on the precipice of occurring. Times where it felt like you couldn’t leave the house or look away from the phone lest you miss the news – a trade was happening.
But this Aiyuk saga is only the first act of this never-ending play. There are at least two more to follow.
One consistent but underreported element of Aiyuk’s situation is Deebo Samuel. As much as the salary cap can be massaged and adjusted, the odds of the 49ers keeping both receivers long-term are slim. QB Brock Purdy is in line for a mega payday next year, potentially joining the growing list of quarterbacks averaging $50 million-plus per season. With everyone else they’ve signed, LB Fred Warner, RB Christian McCaffrey, assuming they pay OT Trent Williams, it’s not tenable to roster Samuel and Aiyuk past this year. The 49ers have that foresight. It’s why they drafted Florida’s Ricky Pearsall in the first round in April, preparing for life without one of their top wideouts.
With Aiyuk inked, Samuels’ meter is running. It doesn’t mean they’ll trade him right now — they want to maximize on their Super Bowl window — but in the offseason? There’s a high chance it happens. Dealing him in February or March gives the 49ers time to reload at receiver if need be.
Will Samuel come to Pittsburgh? Who knows. But you can bet it’ll be discussed. Someone will speculate or report or specu-port the Steelers as a landing spot. Hopefully the saga won’t be as intense and with the 49ers more motivated to make a trade, it shouldn’t be as prolonged, but it’s coming. You’re going to read that headline. Heck, you already have.
But that could pale into comparison for what’s coming as soon as March and definitely into the spring and summer. Will the Steelers pay George Pickens? Per CBA rules, he can’t receive an extension until his third NFL season is up. If Pickens has the type of 2024 expected from him, now the obvious No. 1 receiver in this offense, he’ll want paid. It won’t be cheap.
Knowing how hot the wide receiver market has become and with a rising salary cap, Pickens will aim to join the $30 million club. And the central question will become – will Pittsburgh pay it? Another news cycle over value, price, market, and any lingering or new concerns over Pickens’ maturity, a player known to let you know when he’s unhappy.
As Dave Bryan noted, Pickens and Aiyuk’s agents work for Athletes First. Expect Pickens to use the same playbook to get paid, messy as it all was. The bottom line is they got paid what they wanted.
Answering the question isn’t important. Not right now. Just know it’ll become a story. Especially if Pickens takes the route many players do. Skip OTAs. Post and sub-tweet on social media. Hold in during training camp. There will always be “something” to the story until there’s a resolution.
It’s a topic we wrote about in May. Finding A Wide Receiver Is 2024’s Steelers Headline – Paying George Pickens Might Be 2025’s. You can change that “might” to will be. The only way it isn’t is if Pickens is injured for a large chunk of the season or the Steelers’ offense is a total disaster and Pickens has a disappointing season. If either occurs, the Steelers will have a lot of problems.
The Aiyuk story is put to bed. Mercifully. I promise we loathed writing about it as much as you may have felt reading it. Especially during training camp when there’s so much tangible in front of us, the start of a new season with new faces, position battles, and sleepers.
But the saga isn’t over. Samuel will creep up this fall, especially if the 49ers somehow stumble out of the gate, and ramp up as soon as the year ends. Pickens might not be far behind and could be *the* Steelers story beginning with next year’s OTAs. I’m not saying you have to like it. I’m just saying. Buckle up.
