For the better part of a year, the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers were tied together in the former's pursuit of a star receiver.
It looked like the 49ers had two in Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, both with contract drama that lent itself to shopping on the trade block. The Steelers, meanwhile, were looking for a complement to standout receiver George Pickens and desperate to find one. Ultimately, Aiyuk signed a four-year, $120 million deal to keep him in the Bay Area, and Pittsburgh's season fulfilled its predictable demise without a potent offense.
However, the Steelers finally found their star receiver in March when they traded for Seattle Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf, who wins in many of the same ways Pickens does and was handed a four-year extension as his new teammate entered a contract year.
To some, that made Pickens expendable. Pittsburgh's leading receiver has been included in several trade proposals, including a handful from CBS Sports, many of which make sense. Sending Pickens back to San Francisco, though, isn't as realistic.
"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," Bryan DeArdo wrote. "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."
The Steelers aren't trading Pickens to the 49ers for two key reasons: doing so would send them back to Square 1 at receiver, and he isn't a scheme fit in San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense.
It remains possible that Pickens is dealt if a high asking price is met and contract negotiations go south (the Steelers aren't exactly incentivized to lock him up with Metcalf in the building). But such a deal would likely leave Pittsburgh without a second star receiver (sound familiar?) and one high-level deep threat. The Steelers just traded a second-round pick to avoid that fate; the aforementioned Jennings isn't moving that needle.
Jennings, further, is a much cleaner fit in Shanahan's offense. He's one of the few receivers that block better than Pickens – who has improved to better meet his frame – and he is incredibly nuanced. Jennings lacks elite athleticism and separation skills, but he's detailed, operating in the most detail-oriented scheme in the sport.
Pickens, from inconsistent route running to a lingering drop problem and off-the-field incidents, isn't that. Shanahan likely prefers Jennings, despite the gap in raw talent, and the Steelers are better off with their homegrown star, even if the fit is a bit redundant.
Expect Pittsburgh to keep Pickens in town, at least until the trade deadline, where trading him in a lost season becomes a more reasonable long-term move.
