According to Pittsburgh Steelers beat writer Gerry Dulac, the ball is in the Niners court as far as a trade for wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. According to Dulac, the Niners would like a wide receiver to replace Brandon Aiyuk in any trade and other sources have noted San Francisco wants a premier player as part of the deal.
If we are talking wide receiver, you have to assume the only one of any value on the Steelers roster is George Pickens. A swap of Pickens and Aiyuk is probably a net upgrade for Pittsburgh but still leaves them one starting wide receiver short.
However, Aiyuk can do more for the offense as a whole and would elevate the value of guys like Van Jefferson, Roman Wilson and Calvin Austin III in the scheme.
SOURCES: The Steelers are waiting to hear from the 49ers if a deal for Brandon Aiyuk is going to happen. Several factors could be involved, and one of them is the 49ers would like a WR to replace Aiyuk. But the Steelers are not using any of their players as part of the trade.
— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) August 9, 2024
We’ve already talked about how the Steelers have multiple offensive linemen including both starting guards and starting tackle Dan Moore Jr. who could be part of the deal. With rookie Mason McCormick in the folds, James Daniels and Isaac Seumalo could be on the block and fellow rookie Troy Fautanu is pushing Moore for a spot in the starting lineup.
There’s also outside linebacker Alex Highsmith. Highsmith is a premier pass rusher and if the Steelers are sold on Nick Herbig, he could be an option. The team also re-signed veteran Markus Golden and he could be the primary backup.
