Andrew Filliponi of 93.7 The Fan reports that the Pittsburgh Steelers have “looked into” signing and trading wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk of the San Francisco 49ers.
The 49ers are anticipated to want to move on before Aiyuk, 26, enters his final year of his current contract and becomes a free agent in the upcoming offseason. If the Steelers were to pursue the wide receiver, they would have to pay him $14 million this season in addition to signing him to a long-term contract.
The All-Pro wide receiver has 25 career touchdowns in four seasons and is coming off consecutive seasons of 1,000 yards or more. He averaged 17.9 yards per reception last year, totaling 1,342 yards and seven TDs.
Aiyuk was allegedly close to a deal with the Jaguars, but the asking price included wide receiver Zay Jones and a first-round pick. Jacksonville withdrew its offer, leaving the door open for the next contender, after determining the move would be too costly.
Recently, on the Rich Eisen Show, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette hinted that the Steelers would make a move that’s a “bigger catch” than free agent Mike Williams, who is scheduled to visit the team this week.
If he’s referring to Aiyuk, the Steelers would probably need to pay a high price to acquire him, but as of right now, rumors suggest they’re at least researching the matter.
