Will Steelers Pay Big Money to Pickens and Aiyuk?

The Pittsburgh Steelers are on the cusp of trading for San Francisco 49ers star receiver Brandon Aiyuk. ... Maybe.

The former first-round pick will get a huge pay day if/when he arrives in the Steel City, but word is, that won’t stop the Steelers from paying third-year man George Pickens.

In a recent article, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac writes that is exactly what the Steelers intend to do.

"If the 49ers agree to a trade, the Steelers will finalize a new multi-year contract for Aiyuk,” Dulac writes . “But, no matter the amount, it will not affect what the Steelers do when Pickens becomes a free agent after the 2025 season, according to team sources.

“The Steelers consider Pickens their No. 1 receiver and intend to pay him accordingly.”

"No. 1'' would, down the line, be a matter of debate.

But having said that ... In the past, the Steelers would draft and develop players and let their big names walk to save money under the salary cap, but general manager Omar Khan doesn’t operate that way.

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Khan seems extremely aggressive in signing his guys and adding to a pretty solid core that they’ve built in Pittsburgh. Khan knows that a duo of Pickens and Aiyuk with this year’s third-round receiver Roman Wilson could be as formidable as any wideout trio in the league.

Of course, the trade has not happened and we are all still playing the waiting game on this trade. We have no idea if its actually going to happen, but either way, Pickens is going to get paid.