Just because the Brandon Aiyuk deal fell through doesn’t mean the Pittsburgh Steelers are ending their pursuit for a wide receiver. ESPN Insider Jeremy Fowler thinks the Steelers’ search will continue throughout the season and could put Courtland Sutton in Pittsburgh with former teammate Russell Wilson.
Writing about the Steelers’ passing game Thursday morning, Fowler is keeping Sutton on the Steelers’ radar.
“Pittsburgh will also likely monitor the landscape for potential developments leading up to the trade deadline. Several teams have tried to trade for Denver’s Courtland Sutton, but the Broncos have not been willing to trade him … so far. Perhaps Pittsburgh will entertain a reunion between Sutton and Wilson.”
Sutton was one of several wide receivers prominent in trade speculation during the offseason as he angled for a new contract. Denver gave him a raise that seemed to placate him, Sutton going through the summer in full and entering the season as the Broncos’ No. 1 receiver.
As Fowler notes, the Broncos haven’t budged on trading him yet. Reportedly, they turned down a blockbuster deal that would’ve sent Sutton to the San Francisco 49ers for a third-round pick. The trade also would’ve sent Aiyuk to the Steelers.
While Sutton isn’t an elite receiver, Denver has good reason to hold onto him. He’s the Broncos’ top option in the passing game and after dealing Jerry Jeudy early in the offseason, shipping Sutton would leave little for rookie QB Bo Nix to work with.
Still, if the Broncos don’t look playoff bound midway through the season, Sutton trade rumors will reoccur. Denver may still make the same calculation and not want to hang Nix out to dry. And its recent restructure of Sutton’s contract could create a financial barrier to Denver wanting to do a deal. Head coach Sean Payton has also been as quick to deny interest in trading him as he was confirming leaguewide calls about Sutton.
“I’m going to say in the last three months, there have been multiple teams call about Courtland,” Payton said via Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. “He’s a good football player. It’s a little bit of a stretch relative to the specifics. I read the same thing you read, and I would say we didn’t get nearly as far down the road as what may have been reported.”
But everything has a price, and if the Steelers are in the playoff race needing another piece to put them over the top, it wouldn’t be surprising for GM Omar Khan to make a call.
If not Sutton, other potential names the team could inquire about include the Las Vegas Raiders’ Davantae Adams, New England Patriots’ Kendrick Bourne, and the Tennessee Titans’ DeAndre Hopkins.
