Steelers Urged to ‘Go Big’ if They Make a Wide Receiver Trade

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been looking for a wide receiver for just over a month to fill a need at WR2 that they created.

It has been a while since there has been any report of them actively engaging in talks to land one , but it seems there is still hope the team will make a move at the position.

On April 9, Jason La Canfora said the Steelers are still trying to get something done at the position.

If they were to make a move, Steelers Depot’s Josh Carney thinks the Steelers need to take a big swing on a wide receiver.

“No, if the Steelers are truly trying to get something done via trade at the wide receiver position, Khan has to swing big. Go big, or go home. Period.”

---

The Need the Steelers Created

At the start of the 2024 offseason, the Steelers had a pretty strong combo at the top of their depth chart at wide receiver.

George Pickens was coming off of a season where he made 63 catches for 1140 yards.

They also had Diontae Johnson, who was a former Pro Bowler.

Then they traded Johnson and created a major need at WR2.

Now they don’t have the most inspiring options behind Pickens.

Calvin Austin, Van Jefferson, and Quez Watkins only had 533 receiving yards last season combined.

That big question mark at WR2 could be enough to convince the Steelers to try and make something big happen at the position before the draft, but their options for a big move may be limited.

---

The Only Big Move Available

In his article, Carney brought up three names as possible big swings for the Steelers.

Those three players were Brandon Aiyuk, Courtland Sutton, and A.J. Brown.

If we’re talking about a big move for the Steelers, Sutton doesn’t really fit the bill.

He has been consistently solid throughout his career, going over 700 yards in all five of his seasons where he played more than one game. However, he only has one season where he topped 1000 yards.

His career numbers are similar to Johnson’s, so this wouldn’t be a “go big or go home” trade for the Steelers.

Brown would be a huge swing for the Steelers. He has gone over 1400 yards in each of his seasons with the Eagles.

There were some trade rumors earlier in the offseason, but Brown shut those down last month.

It wouldn’t make much sense for the Eagles to trade him right now.

The team will still be expecting themselves to be in contention in 2024 despite their brutal ending to last season where they dropped six of the last seven games they played.

Trading away an elite receiver for draft capital doesn’t seem like something they would be interested in if they still have aspirations of being a contender.

Then there’s Aiyuk. The Steelers have been linked to him this offseason. The 49ers could have trouble keeping him after this season because of their cap situation.

Spotrac currently has them projected to be over the cap by $30 million in 2025 without factoring in this year’s rookie class or a new contract for Aiyuk.

Aiyuk also recently seemed to have unfollowed the 49ers on social media.

There was also a previous report of an actual asking price for Aiyuk. According to 1010XL’s Mia O’Brien, the 49ers wanted a first rounder and Zay Jones from the Jaguars to give up Aiyuk.

Aiyuk earned that asking price with his performance in 2023. He made 75 catches for 1342 yards last season in his second consecutive year over 1000 yards.

Parting with their first rounder would be tough for the Steelers with a few other major needs on their roster, but if they want to make one more big splash this offseason, Aiyuk definitely fits the bill.

0 Comments