Previous Steelers offseason mistake may have cost them Brandon Aiyuk

The Pittsburgh Steelers were unable to land Brandon Aiyuk in the end, despite months of negotiations. The star wideout stuck with the San Francisco 49ers, inking a four-year, $120 million contract that anchors him to Brock Purdy and the Kyle Shanahan offense for the foreseeable future.

In the end, this was always the most probable outcome. Aiyuk wanted to remain in San Francisco and the Niners couldn't really afford to lose him without a suitable replacement. Trade packages were discussed centered on New England Patriots wideout Kendrick Bourne and Cleveland Browns wideout Amari Cooper, but the Steelers were the team "closest" to prying Aiyuk out of San Francisco, per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.

Pittsburgh was comfortable coughing up a second-round and third-round pick for Aiyuk, in addition to $28.7 million annually. What the Steelers could not offer, however, was a viable Aiyuk replacement for San Francisco. The Niners called teams about potentially flipping an extra third-round pick for another receiver, but nothing materialized.

A Steelers trade hinged upon their ability to land the Niners a new pass-catcher. San Francisco wasn't going to shortchange its competitive odds just to resolve the Aiyuk hold-in before the season.

"And that underscores a key element," writes Breer. "Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch were never going to undermine the 2024 49ers while trying to find a resolution. Aiyuk’s final number represents a healthy bump over where negotiations were in the spring, but not in the same neighborhood as the Jefferson and Lamb deals."

Steelers missed golden Brandon Aiyuk opportunity with obvious mistake

Pittsburgh dealt WR Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers in the early days of the offseason, acquiring CB Donte Jackson in what otherwise amounts to a day-three pick swap. The move was viewed favorably at the time, but it has aged rather poorly for the Steelers.

Johnson is currently positioned as WR1 for a Panthers team in need of offensive firepower. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, has a stark lack of WR depth beyond George Pickens. Arthur Smith figures to make the most of spare parts, but Pittsburgh would benefit from another explosive pass-catcher to accentuate Russell Wilson.

Aiyuk was the dream target. He averaged 17.9 yards per catch last season and thrives in a variety of formations, offering top-shelf speed, dynamism after the catch, and enough power to win 50-50 balls. Had the Niners held on to Johnson a few months longer, he would've been an easy inclusion in Aiyuk trade talks. That very well could have led to Aiyuk landing in PGH.

We can't know for sure, of course, but Johnson sure feels of a comparable quality to Kendrick Bourne and Amari Cooper, the other names tossed around in Aiyuk trade talks. Pittsburgh clearly had the motivation, just not the assets.

Maybe Donte Jackson thrives at a position of need and elevates the Steelers defense to another level. There is a chance for this trade to age gracefully, but Pittsburgh's WR room has not been this vulnerable in years. Pickens has more or less earned his WR1 billing, but the depth chart around him consists of either unproven rookies or over-the-hill vets.

Johnson was the subject of criticism last season for various lapses in judgment but the talent was never in question. Without him, the Steelers have a noticeable void and precious few avenues to addressing it. Without Aiyuk in the building, Pittsburgh is left grasping at straws.