The Pittsburgh Steelers made some major changes to their offense this offseason. Arthur Smith is taking over as coordinator and the team has an entirely new depth chart at quarterback. The only thing missing is another weapon at wide receiver; could Brandon Aiyuk of the San Francisco 49ers fill that void?
Another one of the major changes that Pittsburgh made was trading wide receiver Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers. That leaves them short on experienced and established weapons behind George Pickens.
Enter, Brandon Aiyuk. A first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Arizona State, he possesses all of the tools to be a No. 1 receiver in the league. With experience playing alongside Deebo Samuel, he should be able to co-exist with Pickens, providing a huge upgrade for Russell Wilson and Justin Fields to work with.
What could a trade between the Steelers and the 49ers look like? Alex Kay of Bleacher Report has suggested a proposal between the teams. Aiyuk would head to the Steel City in exchange for a first-round pick and tight end Darnell Washington, a third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
“A first-round pick should get the 49ers’ brass listening, while adding in Darnell Washington—the massive tight end who Pittsburgh brought in with the No. 93 overall pick last year—could sweeten the pot enough to get a deal done,” Kay wrote.
This is a deal that could work out for both sides. The Steelers get a much-needed upgrade at wide receiver to go along with 2024 third-round pick Roman Wilson. Brandon Aiyuk and Pickens would be an intimidating duo for opponents to game plan against.
For the 49ers, they know they cannot afford to pay Brandon Aiyuk in addition to Samuel. This gives them a chance to reset the books a little, picking up a premium asset in a first-round pick.
Washington is a nice sweetener, someone who could develop and thrive in Kyle Shanahan’s unique offense behind George Kittle. Already a devastating blocker in the running game, Washington has game-breaking size standing 6’7” and weighing 264 pounds and could turn into a handful as a receiver.
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