3 desperate Pittsburgh Steelers options at WR after officially missing on Brandon Aiyuk

The San Francisco 49ers officially signed Brandon Aiyuk to a four-year, $120 million extension on Thursday, ending one of the more maddening contract holdouts in recent memory. In the end, this just felt like one big waste of time with a single, inevitable conclusion.

Aiyuk has evidently had this contract on the table for almost a month. He tried to leverage his absence for more, but he failed. Now he's back with the defending NFC champs and well-positioned for a productive season at the helm of Brock Purdy's receiving corps.

This leaves the Pittsburgh Steelers holding the bag. Pittsburgh was Aiyuk's suspected alternative destination, had he opted to leave the 49ers for greener (financial) pastures. The Steelers sure did need a wideout, but in the end, the idea of catching passes from Russell Wilson was off-putting enough to end this pointless saga.

Aiyuk was always going to re-sign. It just seems obvious now. But, the Steelers still need help in the WR room. George Pickens can't catch everything and third-round pick Roman Wilson probably isn't the difference-maker Pittsburgh fans envision.

Here are a few desperate options Omar Khan and the front office can turn to.

3. Allen Robinson II

Allen Robinson was unable to crack the Los Angeles Rams' 53-man roster, which led him to the Detroit Lions' practice squad. The book on Robinson is fairly straightforward at this point. He's your prototypical WR1 on paper — 6-foot-2, long strides, strong frame — but at 31, the former Pro Bowl wideout has lost a step or two.

He probably isn't cut out for a major role in 2024, but the Steelers are at least familiar. Robinson spent last season in PGH, where he accumulated 34 receptions on 49 targets for 280 yards. Not exactly the most eye-popping stats, but Robinson was on the field for all 17 regular season games. Arthur Smith, at the very least, will get something out of his fringe receivers. Maybe there's a reunion to be had here.

Robinson profiles as a big vertical target for Russell Wilson. Not that last season's production really matched that reputation. The simple truth here is that Aiyuk was a singular opportunity for the Steelers. Wideouts of that caliber aren't made even semi-available on a regular basis. There isn't anything close to a one-for-one fallback option on the free agent market. The trade mill is pretty barren these days, too.

He's not familiar with the Arthur Smith offense, but Robinson knows Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh knows Robinson, for better or worse. He's certainly on their radar, at the very least.

2. Michael Thomas

Here is a "washed" 31-year-old who's a bit more interesting. Injuries are an ongoing storyline for Michael Thomas at this point, but the former New Orleans Saints standout has three Pro Bowls on his resumé. He was the AP Offensive Player of the Year in 2019. At 6-foot-3, Thomas has all the physical tools a team could want at the wide receiver position. It's just of matter of how healthy he is, and how much of his athleticism remains after various lower-leg ailments.

Thomas managed 10 games (seven starts) for the Saints last season, netting 39 receptions for 448 yards and a touchdown. He averaged a respectable 11.5 yards per catch. There is no guarantee at this stage of his career, but there has to be something there. At his peak, Thomas was on the shortlist of the best receivers in football. The talent has never been in question, and the Steelers are out of clearly superior options.

In addition to potential football benefits, Thomas brings a certain wisdom to the locker room. George Pickens and the Steelers' WR room were a mess last season. Mike Tomlin was juggling combative social media posts and locker room spats all year. Thomas can supply leadership, maybe even stability. There's value in that. He should be a strong mentor.

Maybe it's not the most exciting possibility, but at the end of the day, well, it may be the Steelers' only option.

1. Kadarius Toney

Ha ha ha. Yes. Yes!!!

I am not sure the broader football fandom is ready to watch Kadarius Toney field passes from Russell Wilson. What beautiful chaos. This is easily the most fun outcome if you're not a Steelers fan. Let the world burn and watch Mike Tomlin try to rise from the ashes.

The Steelers have been a paragon of consistency during the Tomlin era. He almost always finds a way into the playoffs. He never loses more than he wins. This would be the ultimate test. A way to truly prove if Tomlin is just better than the field. Prop Kadarius Toney up as a reclamation project in Arthur Smith's offense, with Russ calling the shots, and see if the Steelers can still score enough points to win a game.

In all seriousness, Toney is going to find a new home. It's just a matter of time, and the Steelers present one of the most obvious intersections of need and opportunity. Toney is 25, speedy as ever, and generally respected by his coaches. His Kansas City Chiefs tenure was plagued by drops, injuries, and general mistrust within the offense, but maybe there's still something there. I wouldn't count on it, but there are worse cases of a team throwing darts in the dark.

Toney spent a portion of his training camp practicing at RB. The Chiefs tried hard to make this work. There had to be a reason for that, right? Arthur Smith and Mike Tomlin both love a fringe wideout with tools... Let them cook?