A huge sigh of relief will be let out from the Pittsburgh Steelers' leadership following the 2024 NFL Draft. The team has been involved in countless rumors throughout the offseason and speculation has been running rampant for months. The first round is expected to see the organization go after an offensive lineman, but no one is fully confident that the franchise will even have a first-rounder to begin with. General Manager Omar Khan could be on the clock and elect to trade for a star player in a position of need: wide receiver. Brandon Aiyuk and Courtland Sutton are two names that come to mind.
While their price tags would be different in any trade, acquiring one and then immediately signing him to a long-term deal would likely be necessary. Any plans that the Steelers had of officially approaching the San Francisco 49ers with an offer might be completely off the table after breaking news came to the surface on Wednesday. The wide receiver position just got a whole lot more expensive.
Amon-Ra St. Brown is well-deserving of a huge contract, but with Aiyuk being at only 26 years old, he is going to be expecting just as much, and probably more than what St. Brown just inked. This deal completely resets the receivers' market and guys like Aiyuk and, especially, Justin Jefferson are licking their chops waiting to get huge pay days.
There isn't a doubt that the Steelers need to upgrade their room and it will be hard to heavily rely on a plug-and-play rookie at this position. George Pickens has all the talent in the world, but won't be able to handle consistent double-teams. This is why it is necessary for Pittsburgh to bring in a solidified starter, but at what cost? It seems like what Aiyuk will be looking for could be far too expensive for what the Steelers would traditionally pay someone with his situation.
The deal being reported a little over 24 hours before the beginning of the draft is problematic for a team like Pittsburgh. A trade for another wideout remains a possibility, but a big name will be looking forward compensation and a secure future. It can't be confirmed that Aiyuk will want north of $30 million per season, but it now feels that is the way it could be trending.
That's where Sutton might come into play for Khan. At 28 years old, he certainly has time left to produce big numbers. Making a deal for him wouldn't completely throw off Pickens, who could be looking for a new contract in 2025. If the Steelers elect to sell the house and make a big dent in the bank account for Aiyuk, Pickens may feel as if he won't get paid what he deserves in the near future. This could lead to an unfortunate break-up.
While St. Brown isn't guaranteed $30 million per season, that number will stick out in contract talks for other wide receivers. Pittsburgh also doesn't like to give any guaranteed money out after year one. The idea that Khan and co. would break tradition in a franchise-shifting way seems far-fetched. Aiyuk coming to the Steel City just got even more complicated after St. Brown put pen to paper.
Steelers Running Out Of Time To Make Move At Wide Receiver
Khan could be waiting until Thursday evening to pull off a deal, but the guessing game of who that could be for remains a mystery. The team needs a ton of help so Russell Wilson and/or Justin Fields are set up for success. A brand new wrinkle was thrown in on Wednesday, however. It'd be incredibly uncharacteristic for Pittsburgh to complete a deal of such magnitude. A ton of draft capital and $30 million per year for Aiyuk may simply be too much to ask of Khan.
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