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As the San Francisco 49ers figure out the future of their top receivers, the Pittsburgh Steelers are supposedly interested in a trade. San Francisco has both Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel leading the group, but both have been the subject of trade speculation.
In this particular case, Aiyuk is the trade target. 93.7 The Fan’s Andrew Fillipponi reported that Pittsburgh have looked into a move for the fifth-year wide receiver.
“Sources: The Steelers have looked into 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk,” Fillipponi wrote on X on March 19. “He’s entering the last year of his contract. Steelers would have to execute a sign and trade. But they’ve shown interest.”
If the 49ers have to trade Aiyuk this offseason, there may not be a better destination than Pittsburgh. San Francisco rarely plays the AFC North squad, Pittsburgh owns the 20th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft and has a sizable amount of salary cap space.
Re-signing Aiyuk would probably be the optimal move, but it simply may not be feasible. The Steelers check all the boxes of a potential trade partner, and that means this likely won’t be the last we hear of a potential Aiyuk deal involving the 49ers and the Steelers.
Aiyuk Ready to Be No. 1 Receiver?
Any potential move for Aiyuk will be an interesting one due to his role in San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense. With Samuel, Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle, Aiyuk has to split chances with three of the best players at their respective positions.
That being said, the former Arizona State star has led the team in receiving yards for two straight years. After 1015 yards in 2022, Aiyuk went off for 1342 yards in 2023 with 17.9 yards per catch.
In terms of a fit on Pittsburgh, there’s pretty much no issue. The Steelers have just dealt Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers, and the only WR remaining that could possibly be a No. 1 is George Pickens.
Pickens is exciting, but he hasn’t come anywhere close to Aiyuk’s regular performances. The only hang-up could be Aiyuk not wanting to be the best weapon on a team running out QBs Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.
49ers Bring Back Veteran WR
While Aiyuk could be on the outs, San Francisco has tried their best to keep the WR group united. Their latest move in that effort was signing veteran WR Chris Conley on a one-year deal after his 2023 stint in San Francisco.
Conley has bounced around the NFL in his nine seasons in the NFL, as the 49ers are the fifth different team he’s suited up for. And while he was not a marquee player by any means in 2023, he brings experience and the “little things.”
For one, the former Georgia Bulldog is a tremendous blocker. But his experience and intelligence makes him a reliable tool in almost any situation for Shanahan.
Of course, Conley even got his chance in the 2024 Super Bowl to make a play and made the most of it. The 31-year-old caught his only target for an 18-yard grab and a first down.
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