The Pittsburgh Steelers are very thin at wide receiver behind George Pickens, as they traded Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers last month.
Does that mean the Steelers may end up making a move to bolster the position between now and the NFL Draft?
During a recent episode of the In the Huddle podcast, Jason La Canfora of Audacy stated that Pittsburgh is trying to get something done at wide out.
“For me, there’s a piece of information we don’t have yet, which is do they trade for a wide receiver before the draft?” La Canfora said. “It would not surprise me if they did that tomorrow, if they did it the Wednesday before the draft. If they did it while they were on the clock, if they did it in the run up to the draft that Thursday, I know that they’re really trying to make something happen there.”
The Steelers have already been rumored to be interested in San Francisco 49ers star Brandon Aiyuk, who is entering the final year of his deal and may prove too expensive for the 49ers to keep long term.
The problem is, he may be too expensive for Pittsburgh, too.
The Steelers have very limited cap room at the moment and are actually projected to be well over the salary cap in 2025, so it may be difficult for them to fit Aiyuk on the books.
Plus, San Francisco’s asking price for Aiyuk is high, as it already asked the Jacksonville Jaguars for a first-round pick and fellow receiver Zay Jones in return for him.
Pittsburgh may be better served focusing on the wide receiver position in the draft rather than trying to swing a deal for an established star receiver. Unless, of course, the Steelers can find an affordable option.
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