Steelers Floated as Potential Landing Spot for Projected $136 Million WR

As Pittsburgh Steelers fans wait to see if the team will acquire wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk from the San Francisco 49ers, SI.com’s Noah Strackbein proposed another trade possibility — acquire Dallas Cowboys wideout CeeDee Lamb.

Strackbein named Lamb a potential target for the Steelers on August 14.

“With the Steelers making it clear they want a star wide receiver, and are willing to give up a large contract and a trade to get one, maybe they should call the Dallas Cowboys,” Strackbein wrote. “Lamb has not reported to training camp, and he looks for an extension, and the two sides – Dallas and Lamb – don’t appear to be on great terms.

“The 49ers wanted to keep Aiyuk, but maybe the Cowboys aren’t so hung up on keeping Lamb. Owner Jerry Jones made headlines for comments about his star wideout, saying there was no “urgency” to get a deal done with Lamb.”

Aiyuk has been considered an intriguing trade target for the Steelers because of his big-play ability. Aiyuk posted a career-best 17.9 yards per reception average in 2023.

Lamb averaged 13 yards per catch last season. While that falls short of Aiyuk’s average, Lamb led the NFL with 135 catches and posted a career-high 1,749 receiving yards with 12 touchdowns. He also had the longest catch of the season for any NFL player with a 92-yard reception in Week 17.

With those accomplishments, Lamb made first-team All-Pro in 2023. He is entering the fifth-year option of his rookie contract this fall. For his next deal, Spotrac projected Lamb to be worth $136 million on a 4-year contract.

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CeeDee Lamb Holding Out of Cowboys Training Camp

Lamb is one of the top receivers in the NFL. He’s registered at least 935 receiving yards in all four of his NFL campaigns. Lamb has also made three straight Pro Bowls and first or second-team All-Pro the past two years.

In today’s passing era, NFL teams simply don’t let that kind of talent at receiver leave. Granted, the Kansas City Chiefs traded away Tyreek Hill two years ago, but the Chiefs signed him to a second contract before they elected to spend their salary cap space elsewhere.

Rumblings that the Cowboys could move on from Lamb have surfaced in August, though, because Dallas owner Jerry Jones told reporters on August 8 that the team didn’t have a “sense of urgency” to sign Lamb to an extension.

CBS Sports’ Joel Corry wrote that after Jones’ admission, Lamb removed any reference to the Cowboys from his social media bios.

Lamb is looking for his first post-rookie contract with the Cowboys. Spotrac projected him to be paid $34 million per season.

With such a deal, Lamb would become the fifth receiver to have at least a $30 million average annual salary. Three of those other four wideouts signed those deals this offseason.

Cowboys COO Stephen Jones, though, said on The Athletic’s Scoop City podcast in July that Lamb wants to be the league’s highest-paid non-quarterback. Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson is the current highest-paid non-quarterback, averaging $35 million per season.

Lamb has been absent from Cowboys training camp this summer. He is set to make $17.99 million on the fifth-year of his rookie deal, but he is not guaranteed anything beyond 2024.

Lamb can receive a $40,000 fine for each day he misses of training camp. He is also subject to additional fines for each preseason game absence.

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What It Could Cost to Acquire Lamb in a Trade

It will take at least a near-historic deal to sign Lamb. But the Steelers have the ability to meet that demand.

Spotrac reported the Steelers possess the fourth-most salary cap space for the 2025 season. A big reason why is because the team doesn’t have a quarterback under contract for next year.

In case they want to sign Russell Wilson or Justin Fields, the Steelers can’t spend lavishly. But they have the space to sign Lamb to a massive deal. That, of course, is if they are willing to depart with the draft capital necessary to acquire him.

That’s likely the bigger potential sticking point for the Steelers in any potential blockbuster receiver trade. According to multiple reports, the main reason the Steelers have been unable to acquire Aiyuk is because they have not met the 49ers’ trade demands.

It’s unclear if the Steelers are interested in potentially acquiring Lamb. So, it’s impossible to know if they would be willing to offer more for the Cowboys receiver. But it’s highly likely that Lamb will be more costly to acquire than Aiyuk.

On August 13, Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay projected Lamb to be worth two high draft picks and a significant player. Kay proposed the Green Bay Packers acquire Lamb for a 2025 first-rounder, 2025 second-rounder and receiver Christian Watson.

The Steelers are in the market to trade for an elite receiver this summer because George Pickens is the only wideout currently on the team’s roster who reached 210 receiving yards in 2023.

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