Even though the San Francisco 49ers were oh-so-close to winning Super Bowl 58 against the Kansas City Chiefs, superstar wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk have been mentioned heavily as potential offseason trade candidates.
The 49ers haven’t offered any hints at wanting to trade either player. However, Brandon Aiyuk is entering the final year of his rookie contract and remains eligible for an extension, and Deebo Samuel has just two years remaining on his deal.
According to Spotrac, Samuel carries cap hits of $28.633 million and $24.201 million for 2024 and 2025, respectively. If the 49ers decide to shake things up and retool the roster, GM John Lynch could be open to dealing one of his star receivers for the right price.
Plenty of teams could use a do-it-all weapon like Samuel, but there’s one AFC club that could especially use the 28-year-old.
That would be the new-look Pittsburgh Steelers, who have undergone a drastic change on the offensive side of the ball. They’ve brought in quarterbacks Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and Kyle Allen to replace Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph. On top of that, No. 2 wideout Diontae Johnson was traded to the Carolina Panthers.
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With Johnson gone, the Steelers need another wide receiver to complement rising star George Pickens. New offensive coordinator Arthur Smith loves running the ball, and Samuel has flourished as both a receiver and runner, with 1,007 rushing yards and 19 rushing touchdowns under his belt.
What The Steelers Should Offer For Deebo Samuel
Giving up their first-round pick (No. 20 overall) for Samuel would be a little too rich. As long as Lynch isn’t asking for a day-one pick, the Steelers should do whatever it takes to land the so-called “wing back” to their new-look offense.
Pittsburgh GM Omar Khan should offer San Francisco his 2024 second-round pick (No. 51 overall) and a 2025 fourth-round pick in exchange for Samuel. That’s a fair price for an explosive albeit injury-prone wideout who will be 30 years of age when he’s due for a new contract.
The move allows San Fran to clear valuable cap space and potentially find a new No. 2 receiver in the draft. For Pittsburgh, an offense of Wilson/Fields with Samuel, Pickens, Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren and Pat Freiermuth is enough to help them emerge as immediate Super Bowl contenders.
