The Pittsburgh Steelers acquired disgruntled wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk from the San Francisco 49ers in a trade.
The Pittsburgh Steelers could be in a good position to sign Brandon Aiyuk after the San Francisco 49ers wide receiver strained relations with his head staff this week. Aiyuk has been connected to the Steelers this offseason after messaging head coach Mike Tomlin on social media.
The Pittsburgh Steelers need another receiver.
After moving Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers, the Steelers need to add a wide receiver. They have one good receiver in Geroge Pickens, but the team must take advantage of its opportunity with an offense lead by Russell Wilson on a veteran minimum contract.
Aiyuk is a legitimate No. 1 receiver who wants to be paid his worth in an offseason when contracts at his position are expected to skyrocket. The 49ers want to keep Aiyuk long-term, but their front staff does not see him as an elite receiver worth roughly $30 million per year. Even if they wanted to pay him, they have severe cap worries with quarterback Brock Purdy set to sign a massive contract extension in the next offseason.
Aiyuk is expected to earn $14.1 million this season, but he plans to battle for more money before returning to the field the following season. Aiyuk unfollowed the squad on Instagram this week as a negotiating strategy, just like Deebo Samuel did in 2022.
Brandon Aiyuk wants the San Francisco 49ers to compensate him.
As previously reported on GH, Aiyuk stated that he wanted to be paid what he “deserves” from the 49ers. He considers himself a team leader who does his company professionally. He intimated that he may look elsewhere if the 49ers refused to pay him:
Aiyuk hinted he would seek to play elsewhere if the 49ers didn’t give him what he deserves:
“From the first day I walked in there to when I was in there earlier this morning. If they don’t see the worth in that, that’s all it is. It ain’t nothing else besides that. I can’t get into it. We got professionals working on both sides, so hopefully we can come to a professional agreement to continue playing professional football.”
The Steelers could be that team for Aiyuk, but it will cost them heavily in the draft to add him.
The Steelers would have to give up offensive line help for Aiyuk.
The Steelers’ No. 20 pick is likely to be used to enhance offensive talent. However, indications indicate that the organization aims to select an offensive lineman with the choice. The Steelers really need to upgrade their offensive line.
If they trade for Aiyuk, they will need to search later in the draft for offensive line help. However, Aiyuk has consistently produced results, so the front office will not have to worry about picking a dud.
The 49ers would obtain a first-round pick in a draft class dominated by wide outs. They may draft a speedster like Xavier Worthy around No. 20 or a good defensive tackle like Byron Murphy II to replace Arik Armstead, who left for the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency. With Purdy’s contract extension approaching, the 49ers’ best option for adding talent is through the draft, where they can pay exceptional players on rookie contract.
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