The Pittsburgh Steelers have not been shy about their desire to add another top-tier receiver to pair with George Pickens, and San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk seems to be their current target.
While the 49ers have been adamant on wanting to re-sign the 26-year-old wideout to an extension rather than trade him, if a team approached them with an offer too good to refuse, it’s possible San Francisco could opt for the draft capital over handing Aiyuk a mega-extension.
In his latest mailbag, Steelers insider Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was asked what would be a fair offer from the Steelers, to which he threw out a trade package that seems to be on-par with Aiyuk’s perceived trade value.
“I think what would be more likely is the Steelers giving up a future No. 2 choice and also swapping first-round picks,” Dulac
In Dulac’s proposal, the 49ers would move up from 31st to 20th overall in next week’s draft while also adding a 2025 second-round pick.
Jumping up 11 spots would put the 49ers in position to draft Aiyuk’s replacement among the second tier of WRs in the 2024 draft class — a group that includes LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr., Texas’ Adonai Mitchell and Florida State’s Keon Coleman.
For comparison, the Buffalo Bills got a 2025 second-round pick from the Houston Texans for star receiver Stefon Diggs, who’s four years older and carries a $22.52M cap hit in 2024.
Aiyuk has posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and is coming off a career year in which he totaled 75 receptions, 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns while averaging a career-best 17.9 yards per reception.
Pittsburgh has a glaring hole to fill in its WR room after trading Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for a 2024 sixth-round pick and cornerback Donte Jackson.
