The last 24 hours have brought forth a barrage of Brandon Aiyuk-related trade rumors. The San Francisco 49ers finally appear more likely than not to trade him away after a lengthy hold-in, and the Steelers have been among the teams in the mix for a trade, per various reports. Notably, Adam Schefter said he does not expect Pittsburgh to be Aiyuk’s ultimate landing spot, while NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is reporting the Steelers are still in on the trade talks. With as fluid as this situation has been all offseason, nothing can be ruled out until a deal is finally made. That leaves Van Jefferson, the current No. 2 WR for the Steelers, in an interesting situation.
Jefferson has an inside track at the moment to play a significant role in the offense, but that could change in a major way if Aiyuk were acquired. He would then become the primary backup on the outside to Aiyuk and George Pickens and would see a significant reduction in his playing time.
Jefferson was asked after Tuesday’s practice if he anticipates a receiver being acquired to bolster the Steelers’ pass-catching corps.
“I mean, I don’t know. I just came to play ball,” Jefferson said in a clip posted by TribLive’s Chris Adamski on X. “At the end of the day, like I said, I’m not in those positions to make those decisions, and I don’t even know what they’re thinking. So at the end of the day, I’m just here to practice. Earn the trust of my teammates, earn the trust of my coaches, and let the chips fall where they fall…I’m just here to play ball.”
Jefferson has been very impressive throughout training camp, showing a strong connection with Justin Fields. Per Alex Kozora’s camp stats over the first 10 days, Jefferson has caught 17 of his 18 targets for 202 yards and four touchdowns. That is the best catch percentage of camp for anybody who has been targeted six or more times.
He has taken on the Antonio Brown post-practice routine of catching 300 balls from the JUGS machine. By all accounts he has looked much better than expected. While it has been a few years since he has produced at the level of a WR2, he has done it in the past. During the Los Angeles Rams’ Super Bowl run in 2021, Jefferson posted 802 yards and six touchdowns on 50 receptions and another 102 yards on nine receptions in the playoffs. It should also be noted that he was with Arthur Smith and the Atlanta Falcons last season and was barely used. In 12 games, he had just 101 receiving yards and 12 receptions.
TE Pat Freiermuth also chimed in on the trade rumors. He echoed a similar message to Jefferson, but noted “We’re confident in what we have right now,” per Yardbarker’s Aaron Becker on X.
