Steelers Have Cheap Consolation Prize After Quiet Trade Deadline

The Pittsburgh Steelers were very quiet during the 2026 trade deadline, and the fans overall are not too happy with them. They were rumored to be interested in numerous players, especially at wide receiver, but in the end, they weren't willing to pay up for anyone. General Manager Omar Khan has not been nearly as active in wheeling and dealing as he was early in his career. Outside of other depth signings made here and there, this current iteration of the team will be the likely one that goes into the playoffs.

There are a lot of concerns with the Steelers' roster at this point: primarily at wide receiver. Injuries have decimated the unit to the point where practice squad players have had to take meaningful reps. Ben Skowronek is expected to be back for Week 10, but there is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding Roman Wilson and Michael Pittman Jr., as they are still on Injured Reserve (IR) with no set date for them to return to practice. 

"The 49ers are going to part ways with Brandon Aiyuk," Fittipaldo said. "Now, all you got to do is sign that guy to your practice squad. He's not going on to a 53-man roster. I know he acted very strangely with the 49ers, but if you bring him in and he's a bad apple, you just cut him after a week or two."

Many fans remember the whole Brandon Aiyuk saga, where the Steelers got so close to trading with the San Francisco 49ers to acquire him, but he accepted the extension to keep him in the Bay Area. He suffered a major season-ending injury that year and ended up going on a complete tirade in 2025, leading to San Francisco trying to sever all ties to him; but being unable to since he wouldn't report to the facilities to be cut.

Shortly before the trade deadline, Aiyuk hired a new agent and reported to the 49ers' team facilities so he could be released and attempt to earn some respect back in the NFL. He has not officially been cut yet, but that will happen sometime over the next two weeks. Once that happens, it wouldn't be too shocking to see Pittsburgh give him a call to see if he's sane enough to play football. 

As Fittipaldo mentioned, the odds of any team signing him to their 53-man roster are slim to none. He has not actually played since 2024, where he struggled before dealing with injury. It will take time to get him into football condition, but if it works out, it could be a massive boost to this team. If not, he gets cut quickly with no real consequences, and it's like he was never there in the first place.

Steelers May Have Real Interest In Aiyuk

Mark Kaboly followed up on Fittipaldo's take by saying that Aiyuk's outbursts and poor decisions off the field mean nothing to the team. That would not be a hindrance for the Steelers at least bringing him in for a workout and seeing what he is capable of. With all the injuries and inconsistencies plaguing the receiver room, it likely wouldn't hurt to bring him onto the practice squad in case that situation doesn't get much better.

This is likely what Aiyuk should do as well: go to a team's practice squad, work on getting back to his old form, and stay quiet. If he can do that, there may be some interest around the league in hopes that he has changed for the better and can go back to dominating like he did in 2023 and 2024 when he helped turn the 49ers into a powerhouse offensively before burning the golden bridge out of San Francisco.