The Steelers Reportedly Want to Trade for 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk
Brandon Aiyuk may have played his final game with the 49ers.
The Pittsburgh Steelers reportedly are interested in trading for Aiyuk, and they should know the 49ers' price for him, considering the Jaguars were interested in trading for Aiyuk, and in return the 49ers asked for Jacksonville's first-round pick (no. 17) plus veteran wide receiver Zay Jones. The Jaguars apparently declined.
But now the Steelers are interested, because they need a starting split end to replace Diontae Johnson, whom they recently traded to the Carolina Panthers. And the Steelers own pick no. 20 in Round 1. They potentially could offer that pick plus wide receiver Calvin Austin, who was a fourth-round pick in 2022.
That seems like a trade package that would satisfy both teams. Perhaps the 49ers could ask the Steelers to throw in a couple more draft picks, but the core of the trade is the Steelers first-round pick, which the 49ers seem to want and the Steelers seem to be willing to trade.
If the 49ers indeed trade Aiyuk to Pittsburgh for pick no. 20, they could take a wide receiver to replace Aiyuk, or they could take one of the top offensive tackles in the draft and replace Aiyuk with a later pick.
Perhaps the 49ers see this as an opportunity to acquire Trent Williams' eventual replacement. If that's the case and they draft a future Hall of Fame offensive tackle, trading Aiyuk would be a smart move. But if they trade him and draft another wide receiver who isn't half as good as Aiyuk, it's a fireable offense.
Let's see what happens.
