After a less-than-desirable trade deadline for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team will either run with the guys they have or pivot. With the potential availability of Brandon Aiyuk and Tyreek Hill on the horizon, it's possible that the Black and Gold could pivot towards one of those two options. Either of those two wide receivers would pose massive risks, and one the Steelers could consider.
Desperation and their failure to adequately address the position at the trade deadline could force the franchise to make a bold choice.
For those who have forgotten, Aiyuk was on the cusp of being traded to the Steelers back in August of 2024. The playmaker re-signed with San Francisco at the last moment, and that deal fell apart. That miss by Pittsburgh turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as Aiyuk has gone missing for the 49ers after suffering a season-ending injury in October of 2024. He has been a disaster since.
When it comes to Tyreek Hill, he used to be a star player in the NFL, but age mixed with his injury recovery makes him a question mark. Factor in his off-the-field concerns, and the Steelers would be wise to be careful when it comes to their consideration for signing the receiver. Hill might not even be the same player he was before his injury, and it would pose another potential failure for the team.
Pittsburgh Steelers' boring trade deadline could lead them to Brandon Aiyuk or Tyreek Hill
Many might be wondering why the heck the Steelers would even consider Brandon Aiyuk or Tyreek Hill. Well, they didn't make a splash before last year's deadline, and that forced them to reconstruct their wide receiver position on the fly late in the season.
Keep in mind that Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Adam Thielen didn't have the same baggage as either Hill or Aiyuk, but the need for an upgrade is similar.
Pittsburgh could have Michael Pittman Jr. back at some point this season, and the same goes for Roman Wilson. That being said, neither would be as good as Aiyuk or Hill if either veteran were able to find a way to replicate their prior successes from earlier in their careers. The odds of that happening are low, but for the Steelers' sake, trying to locate an upgrade for nearly free might be worth the risk.
With the massive amount of trade rumors that circled the Steelers and the 49ers in 2024, it's clear that general manager Omar Khan desperately wanted to land Brandon Aiyuk. The team viewed the wide receiver as an obvious upgrade to their roster at the time. The question now is: do they still value Aiyuk if he can be had for no trade return?
It's hard to envision them passing all together.
Hill is a different circumstance, as he got into some serious off-the-field issues in the recent past. Risking a potential locker room distraction with either Hill or Aiyuk could be detrimental to the team this season. One thing is for sure: Hill has been an impressive player on the field for a long time. Even if he's slowing down, the speedster would still have the burst to fly past many defenders in the NFL.
Because Omar Khan and the Steelers allowed the trade deadline to pass without making a move for a receiver, going after either Brandon Aiyuk or Tyreek Hill feels plausible.
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