For the past few weeks, undits have linked San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk to the Pittsburgh Steelers. But as the 2024 NFL Draft’s first round drew to an end, Aiyuk’s teammate Deebo Samuel started to show himself as the Steelers’ more plausible trade target.
Late on April 25, Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle stated that Samuel was now “more likely to be dealt by the 49ers” than Aiyuk.
Aiyuk is about to reach the last year of his rookie deal, which contains a $14.1 million fifth-year option. However, he wants to extend his contract before the 2024 season begins.
Because of this, Aiyuk has been the focus of trade rumours the whole draft. But the 49ers might move Samuel to create way for Aiyuk’s new deal.
Samuel will begin the second campaign of a three-year contract worth up to $73.5 million this autumn.
In the 2021 season, Samuel was selected to the Pro Bowl and the first team All-Pro. The season after, he inked his huge deal.
However, Samuel’s lone 1,000-yard season in five seasons was in 2021. Aiyuk has outperformed Samuel the last two years, having just finished back-to-back seasons with 1,000 yards.
The Steelers have “discussed” Brandon’s trade packages. Aiyuk
When Silver reported that Samuel might be traded, he did not bring up the Steelers or any other team. However, drawing a comparison between Pittsburgh and the 2021 All-Pro is not difficult.
This is due to 93.7 On April 23, Andrew Fillipponi of The Fan tweeted about how badly the team wanted to sign Aiyuk.
Fillipponi added, “Sources: The Steelers REALLY like Brandon Aiyuk.” “They’ve talked about the components of a trade deal. And that might include a first-round selection in 2025.
All they need is for the 49ers to express a desire to discuss a trade. That is still not the case.
Whether the Steelers would be as interested in Samuel as they are in Aiyuk is still up in the air. However, Pittsburgh clearly needs a WR2. The lone receiver on the Steelers’ current 2024 roster with at least 210 receiving yards in the previous campaign is George Pickens.
Commentators have linked the Steelers to Courtland Sutton and even Tee Higgins in a possible 2025 trade, in addition to Aiyuk. Thus, it wouldn’t be shocking if Pittsburgh asked about the asking price if Samuel was indeed available in a trade.
In the initial round, the 49ers selected Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall at pick No. 31. This gave rise to rumours that San Francisco might have chosen Pearsall to take Aiyuk’s place.
However, if Silver is right, Pearsall might take Samuel’s place.
Reasons for the Steelers to Consider WR Deebo Over the last few seasons, Samuel hasn’t been as prolific as Aiyuk. However, Samuel might be a better fit for Pittsburgh in other respects.
Samuel led the NFL in yards per reception in 2021, when he was named to the first team of the All-Pro team. Nevertheless, Aiyuk has recorded more of the big plays over the last two seasons, making Samuel more of a possession receiver.
