Did trading WR Diontae Johnson ultimately cost the Steelers Brandon Aiyuk?

The Brandon Aiyuk saga finally came to an end last night when he agreed to a four-year, $120 million extension to remain with the San Francisco 49ers. While some people may now feel comfortable taking a victory lap as if this was always the inevitable outcome, the truth is likely far from it. The 49ers and Aiyuk explored countless variables and contingencies, but ultimately nothing worked out. The Pittsburgh Steelers came closest to meeting the criteria for both the 49ers and Aiyuk — and they might have been able to pull off the deal if they hadn’t traded away Diontae Johnson.

You see, we already knew that the Super Bowl favorite 49ers wanted a replacement wide receiver for Brandon Aiyuk. If the Steelers hadn’t traded Diontae Johnson, they would have had one to send back to the 49ers. Instead, the Steelers traded Johnson to the Panthers for CB Donte Jackson. The 49ers reportedly tried to trade Courtland Sutton from the Broncos before trading Aiyuk to the Steelers. However, the Broncos wouldn’t agree to such a trade and San Francisco opted to re-sign Aiyuk. If the Steelers had a starting-caliber receiver like Diontae Johnson to send to the 49ers, this deal might have gone through.

It’s all theoretical at this point, because the ship has sailed. But hypothetically, would you rather have Donte Jackson and a late-round pick or lose Brandon Aiyuk and a second-round pick? The Steelers created a hole they never filled by trading Johnson, but they did close one in the secondary.

To be fair to Donte Jackson, he seems like a solid player, but he’s clearly not Aiyuk. The Steelers were reportedly willing to send the 49ers second- and third-round picks. They were willing to pay Aiyuk nearly $28 million per season. And maybe they could have done that if they hadn’t traded Johnson for Jackson.

Of course, the Steelers still need to fill the hole at cornerback that they addressed in the Johnson trade. Cory Trice Jr. and Darius Rush aren’t exactly guys you want to start right now. If they hadn’t traded Jackson, they might have taken a cornerback in the first or second round. There’s always a domino effect of strengthening one area and weakening another. But one thing we do know is that the Steelers are a lot weaker at wide receiver without Brandon AIyuk.

The Steelers’ 2024 season is upon us after another disappointing year that culminated in a first-round playoff loss. The only change in the annual formula lately is whether they exit early or miss the playoffs altogether. They’ve had a long offseason since the Buffalo Bills put them out of their misery in January.

The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Will Russell Wilson make them a Super Bowl-caliber team, or will they waste a year?? How will the team continue to address the issues? the depth map?

The regular season is here, after weeks of camp and preseason games. The Steelers have made numerous moves through signings and trades—and releases. More than usual, they’ve seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they could fill them. Some they’ve filled, some not so much. But now that we have so many pieces in place, all we have to do is ask a new set of questions.