The Pittsburgh Steelers traded wide receiver Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers this offseason, leading to NFL rumors connecting the franchise to a deal for Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel. However, it appears hopes for a blockbuster deal likely won’t lead to a big addition.
Pittsburgh is well-situated to make a move. With $18 million of cap space available right now and more than $90 million in 2025, per OverTheCap.com, there’s enough draft capital and financial flexibility to add a playmaker. Furthermore, a Steelers depth chart led by George Pickens, Roman Wilson and Van Jefferson demonstrates their need for another pass-catcher.
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However, as Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated explained in his weekly column, it seems quite unlikely that the Steelers will be making a move for a big-name wide receiver anytime soon.
“It’s never been Pittsburgh’s m.o. to do something like that at that particular position. And I can’t imagine trading Johnson is some sort of big needle-mover in this regard, either…The last time the Steelers’ leading receiver wasn’t homegrown was in the year the United States entered World War II—1941 (Don Looney, if you’re scoring at home). And over the years, Pittsburgh has been able to replace guys such as Plaxico Burress, Wallace, Sanders and Brown as they’ve left the organization.”
Albert Breer on why he believes the Pittsburgh Steelers won’t trade for a wide receiver
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In many ways, it’s similar to the Green Bay Packers’ philosophy. In both instances of replacing Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams, Green Bay relied on its draft-and-develop philosophy in finding new starters at those positions.
This isn’t to suggest that the Steelers don’t make trades, they upgraded their secondary a few years ago by trading a first-round pick for Minkah Fitzpatrick. However, this is an organization that believes in internal replacements and having starters develop in their system. Because of that, trading for Samuel, AIyul or any other high-profile wide receiver seems unlikely.
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