The San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers nearly pulled off a blockbuster trade last offseason when the latter was in hot pursuit of wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who ultimately ended up inking an extension with San Francisco.
While that trade fell through, could the two teams link up again for another possible wide receiver trade? One NFL analyst thinks it’s at least possible.
In a recent article highlighting some possible landing spots for Steelers receiver George Pickens if he’s traded, CBS Sports’ Bryan DeArdo named the 49ers as a team that could pull off a deal for the former second-round pick.
San Francisco would make sense on several fronts. With Pickens in tow, the 49ers would have flexibility when it comes to Brandon Aiyuk, the formerly disgruntled wideout who suffered a season-ending injury last year following a lengthy and nasty holdout. Aiyuk ultimately got his new contract, but it didn’t come without some collateral damage. The 49ers could have Aiyuk and Pickens for at least one season before possibly moving Aiyuk.
The 49ers could trade Aiyuk to the Steelers, but Pittsburgh wouldn’t want to take on his salary. This trade would likely be about the Steelers acquiring a high draft pick unless the 49ers would be willing to deal Jauan Jennings, a 2020 seventh-round pick who set career highs last year with 77 receptions for 975 yards and six touchdowns. Pittsburgh would probably still need some sort of additional competition in this scenario.
Would the Steelers really trade Pickens?
It’s definitely not outlandish to think it’s possible with the young wideout entering the final year of his deal and Pittsburgh likely being hesitant to extend him because of his behavioral issues over the years. Instead of letting him walk in 2026, the Steelers absolutely could decide to trade him.
The problem with that idea is the Steelers finally solved their need for a receiver upgrade by acquiring DK Metcalf and the team would be back in the same boat it just climbed out of if it trades Pickens — that is, unless it gets a wideout back.
The 49ers could offer that kind of return, as DeArdo notes. San Francisco would probably prefer to trade Brandon Aiyuk and his enormous contract, but we’re not sure the Steelers would be willing to take that on, especially after Aiyuk saw his 2024 campaign end early due to a torn ACL.
Jauan Jennings, on the other hand, would be an attractive return in a Pickens package. Of course, the Steelers wouldn’t trade one-for-one, but San Francisco including a draft pick along with Jennings could get it done.
The Tennessee product doesn’t offer the same ceiling as Pickens, but he would be a strong No. 2 option opposite Metcalf and wouldn’t bring any of the volatility Pickens does.
But do the Niners want that kind of volatility on their roster? We tend to think not, unless they can unload Aiyuk’s contract in the trade.
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