Steelers Back in Play for 49ers' Brandon Aiyuk?

Could the San Francisco 49ers be preparing for a trade, and could the Pittsburgh Steelers make it happen?

Noah Strackbein | Apr 26, 2024

Oct 1, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) runs / Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

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Pittsburgh Steelers

PITTSBURGH -- The San Francisco 49ers made a bit of a splash during the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, selecting Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall with the 31st pick.

With plenty of rumors floating around about their potential interest in a trade, could their decision indicate a move is coming? After not getting any takers during Day 1 of the NFL Draft, the 49ers may be in position to make a move and send either Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuels out of town, and the Steelers could be a team to watch.

Pittsburgh has been linked to the 49ers in a trade for Aiyuk all offseason. After watching several wideouts leave the board, including Pearsall, Brian Thomas, Xavier Worthy and Xavier Leggette, they may be looking at the rest of the draft and thinking they may be better off with an alternative route.

The latest report about the situation was that the Steelers were "not in play." That came with the expectation that San Francisco would receive a first-round pick for one of their wide receivers. Now, with the opening round come and gone, they may be trying to test the waters on a later pick.

The Steelers went with offensive tackle Troy Fautanu in the first round, leaving their biggest needs in the draft as center, wide receiver and cornerback. They may have to give up their second-round pick, No. 51 overall, but they'd acquire a Second-Team All-Pro in the process.

With Omar Khan running the show, you can never say never with the Pittsburgh Steelers. If San Francisco sees the writing on the wall that they can't keep both of their star wideouts, they may be lowering the price tag of Aiyuk. If that's the case, maybe the Steelers are looking to pounce.

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Published Apr 26, 2024

NOAH STRACKBEIN

Noah is the Publisher for All Steelers, Inside the Panthers (InsideThePanthers.com) and Inside the Penguins (InsidethePenguins.com), and is the host of All Steelers Talk (YouTube.com/AllSteelersTalk). A Scranton native, Noah made his way to the Pittsburgh sports scene in 2017. Now, he's pretty much full-yinzer.