Despite landing a surprise trade for Michael Pittman Jr. at the start of free agency, the Pittsburgh Steelers still have a need at the wide receiver position. The Steelers lost free-agent Calvin Austin III to the New York Giants, while the depth beyond Pittman and DK Metcalf is virtually non-existent.
Meanwhile, the Steelers have a pair of quality receivers who profile as WR2-types, and are in need of a true No. 1 receiver who Mike McCarthy can pepper with targets as a go-to option.
But despite all of this, the Steelers shouldn't even sniff around the latest wide receiver trade rumors.
On Friday, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported that trade discussions for Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown are not dead, and that the LA Rams were among the teams considering a trade.
"A.J. Brown trade discussions are not dead. Last week, I was told the Rams discussed trading for Eagles WR A.J. Brown before dealing for CB Trent McDuffie.
Dialogue slowed, but Los Angeles continues to monitor the status of the three-time Pro Bowler with interest. We’ll see where both parties go from here."
The Pittsburgh Steelers should steer clear of any A.J. Brown trade discussions
There's no question that adding a three-time Pro Bowl talent wideout like A.J. Brown would help improve the Steelers' offense in 2026. But at what cost?
The Steelers are already dishing out a combined $52 million per season to their top two receivers—Metcalf and Pittman—and adding Brown's lofty contract to the mix makes zero sense. A team acquiring Brown would be responsible for picking up his roughly $29 million guaranteed salary for the 2026 season.
In addition to taking on another expensive wide receiver contract, the Steelers would be forced to part with excellent draft capital. The Eagles could be seeking as high as a first-round pick via trade. Though Brown is a quality player, parting with a high draft pick only hinders the long-term team-building process in pursuit of quick-fix results.
Pittsburgh's need at wide receiver shouldn't prevent them from drafting a wide receiver (or two) in the 2026 NFL Draft. But there's no chance they should be in on the potential A.J. Brown sweepstakes. Mike McCarthy's team is far from ready to compete for a Super Bowl yet, and trading for Brown would be a costly decision.