The Steelers have long been at the center of trade rumors regarding impact wide receivers, and the most recent development with 49ers' wideout Brandon Aiyuk will only fan the flame for those rumors to persist.
The 49ers and Aiyuk have been negotiating a long-term deal to keep him in San Francisco beyond 2024, but it doesn't appear the two sides are getting any closer to a deal. Aiyuk is already subject to fines for skipping the 49ers' mandatory minicamp. Now, his trainer and former NFL wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh went on a Bay Area radio station and provided insight of how bleak things look between Aiyuk and the 49ers.
"At one point, he thought he may sign," Houshmandzadeh said on 95.7 the Game. "So it was like, 'I'm not gonna come out because I might have to go when I sign.' And so that optimistic outlook has turned into a pessimistic outlook now. Like, damn, at one point he thought, 'Hey, I might be leaving soon.' So now, it's like, 'I have no idea.'"
While Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin III have made positive impressions during Steelers OTAs, there's no denying that the Steelers' offense could seriously benefit from adding an impact receiver such as Aiyuk via trade.
The Steelers have reportedly reached out to the 49ers during the offseason about Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, but obviously no trades have come from those talks. Even if the 49ers and Aiyuk were to hammer out a deal, the Steelers could still land Samuel in a trade if the 49ers are looking for some cap relief should they acquiesce to Aiyuk's high demands, which reportedly are in the same ballpark as Amon-Ra St. Brown's four-year, $120-million contract with the Lions.
But, should the asking price be too steep for Aiyuk, Samuel or any other receiver possibly being dangled on the trade market, it appears Omar Khan and the Steelers are content with what they have internally at receiver.
One thing's for certain, though: Khan has proven this offseason that he is willing to be patient. When the Steelers acquired Justin Fields earlier this spring, several weeks went by from the time Khan initially contacted Bears until the time the trade actually went through. Khan is often considered by fans to be an aggressive general manager. However, Khan has proven once again this offseason that he won't overpay for anything.
