Steelers GM addresses trade rumors amid uncertainty about 49ers' Brandon Aiyuk

The Pittsburgh Steelers were heavily linked with San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk ahead of this year's draft and before he requested a trade amid his desire for a contract extension.

Steelers general manager Omar Khan spoke with reporters at training camp on Thursday and indicated he hasn't yet had any meaningful talks with 49ers general manager John Lynch regarding Aiyuk's services.

"There's nothing going on right now," Khan said, per Ross McCorkle of Steelers Depot. "I'll tell you this: when you got 32 GMs, conversations always happen. But there's nothing going on right now."

Not everybody agrees that the Steelers need to acquire a proven No. 1 receiver with 2022 second-round pick George Pickens on the roster and new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith expected to embrace a run-first philosophy. It's also worth mentioning there's been no sign since the spring that the 49ers will trade Aiyuk, who is in the final year of his rookie contract.

Earlier on Thursday, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated predicted that the 49ers will get a deal done with Aiyuk that will result in the club receiving "calls" about fellow receiver Deebo Samuel. Samuel is signed through the 2025 season and could be an option for a receiver-needy team like Pittsburgh.

"We're always going to have conversations with people and if there's an opportunity to evaluate a situation or a player that's out there, that's what we will do," Khan added. "If it makes sense, we will pursue it. If not, then we won't."

Multiple analysts and reporters have suggested the 49ers likely would want at least a Week 1 starter in return for either Aiyuk or Samuel considering San Francisco is coming off a Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and possess what is, on paper, arguably the league's best overall roster. It's unclear if Khan would be open to that type of deal, but he was sure to point out on Thursday that Pittsburgh has some salary-cap "flexibility" if a trade for somebody such as Aiyuk or Davante Adams of the Las Vegas Raiders becomes a realistic possibility.