The Pittsburgh Steelers kept their fan base on the edge of their seats prior to the 2024 NFL season. It was clear that the franchise needed a wide receiver after trading away Diontae Johnson earlier that offseason, and George Pickens was the only reliable target heading into that year. There was a ton of noise surrounding the team potentially trading for wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who was in the middle of a contract holdout with the San Francisco 49ers. Pittsburgh was the leader in the clubhouse when it came to acquiring the pass-catcher via trade, which also would have come with an extension.
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49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk talks to Head Coach Kyle Shanahan before a game in Seattle.
A lot has happened with Aiyuk over the last two years after finally agreeing to an extension in San Francisco. He has been a problem in the locker room, which was reported early on in the 2024 season. He is also two years older now, and seemingly quit on the 49ers in 2025.
He suffered a gruesome knee injury in 2024 which forced him to go through a strenuous rehab process, and he never made it back for any point during the 2025 campaign. Multiple members of the organization have said that they have not heard from the wideout in months, and the team will release him, or trade him, in the near future.
NFL insider Adam Schefter joined Pardon My Take on Friday when he was asked about Aiyuk's future. He shared that the 49ers would still like to trade him, and teams that were interested back in 2024 are probably the organizations that are receiving phone calls from San Francisco.
"He'll be released on the first day of the league year I would think." Schefter said. "They had so many trade conversations with so many teams, and I think that they probably have gone back to many of those teams. But the math is different, the situation is different is different, the way he behaved this year with some of the social media stuff - is different. Everything is different. So, I think team's are curious, but before they would do anything, they'd want to have to check out his knee because that was its own devastating knee injury, and they would want to see where he is at mentally."
Schefter doesn't seem to think that there is any chance that Aiyuk will be traded, but that might not be due to a lack of interest. San Francisco has already made it clear that it will be parting ways with the wide receiver, so his trade value is in the toilet. Teams will be wiser to wait for his release, and he would be a free agent that could sign anywhere.
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Steelers' Omar Khan speaks to the media ahead of the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The insider suggested that the 49ers were desperate to find a trade partner and would have reached out to the teams that were interested in the past. The Steelers are obviously at the top of that list, but the organization would be stupid to even consider making a move like that, even though most of the money in Aiyuk's deal is voidable due to his actions in 2025 as he was not around the team.
"Just go back and look at the teams that the Niners spoke to when they were having trade talks." Schefter said. "The Steelers, Commanders, and Patriots. I would think all of those teams would at least check in on him. Now whose going to move forward? That's a hard thing to say."
Aiyuk won't be traded, but he is expected to be released on the first day of the new league year, which takes place on March 11th. After that point he will be a free agent, and Schefter expects the Steelers to at least look into potentially signing the wide receiver.
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Former Washington wide receiver Denzel Boston makes a catch against Maryland during his college days.
Steelers Should Focus Getting Wide Receiver Help During 2026 NFL Draft
Bringing Aiyuk into the mix in Pittsburgh is risky. Even if it isn't a trade for Pittsburgh, it is a risky move. He has not been a good teammate over the last two years, and he hasn't played good football since the 2023 season. He is two years older now and coming off of a torn knee, it would make no sense to pursue him.
The Steelers have plenty of draft capital and the 2026 NFL Draft is loaded at wide receiver. The organization needs to double dip at the position through the draft rather than pursuing another head case.
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