Steelers Not Going To "Break The Bank" For A Wide Receiver

The Pittsburgh Steelers have checked off yet another box this offseason after signing defensive back Cam Sutton to a one-year deal. As the team begins to switch gears from Organized Team Activities (OTAs) to mandatory minicamp, this allows General Manager Omar Khan to focus on other needs on the Steelers roster, such as the hole next to George Pickens in the receiver room. 

The anticipation for the Steelers is that they will make a trade for a capable wide receiver to pair with Pickens, who enters into the 2024 season in his third-year with the team. This will be the first year that Pickens is viewed as the top target after the departure of Diontae Johnson earlier this offseason. 

Similarly to JuJu Smith-Schuster's best years with the Steelers, having a solid playmaker like Antonio Brown to take some of the pressure off of you helps to unlock the best of both players. This is what the Steelers hope to do with Pickens by bringing in a playmaker to take some of the attention off of him.

Though there is little doubt the Steelers can get some sort of deal done to bring in a difference maker, it's not likely they pay a hefty asking price to acquire it. In his weekly Steelers chat, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette weighs in on the status of the wide receiver questions in Pittsburgh.

"They already have what they think is their No. 1 receiver -- George Pickens. And, no, they are not going to break the bank, which is why you haven't seen a trade materialize." 

At this moment in time, it's not necessarily when the Steelers will make a move for a receiver, but what they will have to give up to acquire him. The biggest benefit of star receivers getting paid handsomely over the past few weeks is, the decrease of the asking price. The negative is paying them the money they desire to reset the market.

Does This Take Brandon Aiyuk Off The Table For The Steelers?

The main cost for the trade will be the extension that will need to be made for whomever the Steelers make a move for. When significant draft capital is involved, it's unlikely that a one-year rental is in place. Justin Jefferson's four-year, $140 million deal reset the wide receiver market, setting the tone for future receiver deals to come for players like CeeDee Lamb and Aiyuk. 

At approximately $30 million a year, it's unknown whether the Steelers would be willing to pay the price for a high profile receiver. Paying non-qb's handsomely is something the Steelers have begun to come around to in recent years, with TJ Watt being the 10th highest paid player who isn't a quarterback in the NFL, making $28 million a year.

The Steelers have been tied to several receivers on the trade block, but the cycle seems to constantly swing back to Aiyuk, who enters into the final year of his rookie contract with the San Francisco 49ers. With the recent extensions of Jauan Jennings and Christian McCaffrey, it almost seems as though San Francisco is tipping their hand towards their intention. The Steelers supposedly had a draft day deal done with the team, but it fell through. 

The trouble now for Khan and the Steelers is the appropriate compensation to acquire a player like Aiyuk, knowing that they will have to pay him long term. Recent trades for players of Aiyuk's caliber have circled around a first round pick, but with questions surrounding the long term future of the quarterback room, it's unclear how comfortable the Steelers will be to move on from it. However, Khan and the front office have shown they are willing to do whatever it takes to help the team get back to their postseason success. If it means taking a hammer to the piggy bank to get it done, it feels like Khan is the guy to do it.

#SteelerNation