OT: The Pittsburgher Thread: Sneaking up onto training camp

[Peat]

If that’s the case, then the deal is dead with the Steelers…don’t see the Steelers budging on their compensation…it’s the 49ers who have to decide whether they want to trade him for the best offer they have or not…

It feels that way but maybe Khan will surprise us. I know a lot of people are in love with his shrewdness and thriftiness but I feel like that's a lot of it has been situational. It's easy to be a Khan Artist when the Pats are happy to screw the Jets or teams go dumb for Claypool, or things just go your way.

Is he gonna stay that way with a potentially season-altering trade?

My guess at this point is the two teams just simply aren't a match in trade assets. The 49ers need players to give them that shot at the Super Bowl and the Steelers don't have meaningful surplus. If they can't find a third partner to bridge the gap, it happens. If they can't, it doesn't.

 

[Andy99]

It feels that way but maybe Khan will surprise us. I know a lot of people are in love with his shrewdness and thriftiness but I feel like that's a lot of it has been situational. It's easy to be a Khan Artist when the Pats are happy to screw the Jets or teams go dumb for Claypool, or things just go your way.

Is he gonna stay that way with a potentially season-altering trade?

My guess at this point is the two teams just simply aren't a match in trade assets. The 49ers need players to give them that shot at the Super Bowl and the Steelers don't have meaningful surplus. If they can't find a third partner to bridge the gap, it happens. If they can't, it doesn't.

Yeah, seems unlikely they will…speaking of Graziano, he’s not wrong lol..,

https://x.com/i/web/status/1821976254347682266

 

[Peat]

Honestly, and I accept this is wrong of me, but I kind of hope this falls through so I can measure how fast the various "You got them over a barrel, Omar! Don't budge an inch" people I see elsewhere go "Wtf how did you fail you fool".

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1821547824221241586

Sounds like Mike Tomlin loves him some jet sweeps

 

[Andy99]

Honestly, and I accept this is wrong of me, but I kind of hope this falls through so I can measure how fast the various "You got them over a barrel, Omar! Don't budge an inch" people I see elsewhere go "Wtf how did you fail you fool".

I won’t think he failed if the trade doesn’t materialize because I don’t think the Steelers are one great WR from being a contender lol…that’s why I think the trade compensation has to be limited and not offer any important player or pick, even at the risk of not getting Aiyuk…also, he’s an upcoming FA who doesn’t want to be in SF…that’s not screaming “let’s give up one of our top players” lol

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

I think signing Juju is an absolute no brainer for the Steelers if they can’t trade for Aiyuk. He’s obviously not a long term solution for their WR2 but he’s way better than what they have now.

Although from what Pats fans are saying, his knees are absolutely cooked and he’s just washed. So who knows.

Juju is cooked. No other way to slice this and the Steelers should steer clear of him. Just move on

PS- the team the Steelers should be looking at for a WR is the Texans. Their depth chart is crazy strong

 

[bigdaddyk88]

Yeah, seems unlikely they will…speaking of Graziano, he’s not wrong lol..,

https://x.com/i/web/status/1821976254347682266

Yeah people still think Watson from Houston is showing up in Cleveland and Joe will stay healthy. They have a terrible defense and the ravens are replacing multiple o line starters but they have the 2 time mvp. We have had the worst qb in the division according to Vegas and anyone since 2019

Juju is cooked. No other way to slice this and the Steelers should steer clear of him. Just move on

PS- the team the Steelers should be looking at for a WR is the Texans. Their depth chart is crazy strong

Woods will be cut they aren’t keeping him at wr 4 or 5 making almost 10 million

 

[WickedWrister]

Just looking forward to watching actual football tonight. Would like to see Fields play well and really make this a tough decision for the coaching staff, but I'm over caring about preseason stats after what happened last year . More so just want to see the difference in how the offense looks with Smith instead of Canada.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

Woods will be cut they aren’t keeping him at wr 4 or 5 making almost 10 million

Why run the risk of a team with a higher waiver claim getting him? Send them a 6th rounder and end all this BA nonsense. 49ers would be royally screwed then.

 

[bigdaddyk88]

Why run the risk of a team with a higher waiver claim getting him? Send them a 6th rounder and end all this BA nonsense. 49ers would be royally screwed then.

Woods is 32 Ayuik is 25 after preseason there’s gonna be tons of cut wr

 

[Peat]

I won’t think he failed if the trade doesn’t materialize because I don’t think the Steelers are one great WR from being a contender lol…that’s why I think the trade compensation has to be limited and not offer any important player or pick, even at the risk of not getting Aiyuk…also, he’s an upcoming FA who doesn’t want to be in SF…that’s not screaming “let’s give up one of our top players” lol

Now don't get me wrong Andy, I don't think Khan has to has to do this trade and when I'm talking about people screaming "he failed" I mean elsewhere, I'm not saying anyone's a crazy here, but there are three points that I'd raise

a) This feels like a really high variance season. 12-5 wouldn't surprise me and neither would 5-12. A few best case scenarios and they might be a WR away from a contender. Conversely, Pickens gets injured, and all of a sudden getting Aiyuk might be a season saver. I'm not opposed to the Steelers completely spinning out for a season but a lot of people are.

b) At a guess Aiyuk would be here for at least four years. It's not about whether he's the needle tipper this year so much as whether he is for that next four years and what's that worth

c) I don't think Aiyuk's position in SF should weigh too heavily on how much the Steelers value him. They're probably already getting a bit of a discount, if they really want him they're better off paying rather than finding out he's a Commander in '25 or he's made his peace with SF or whatever. End of the day, what you think they should sell for matters less than what they will sell for and what you're willing to pay.

I'm not sure I want Aiyuk that much. But I do get why the Steelers' position means they might, and they might be willing to pay a good price for him, and they might be right to.

And yeah, if they don't get Aiyuk and the season does go wrong for want of receiving talent, I would hold that against the team even if I'm not big on the guy.

 

[Andy99]

Now don't get me wrong Andy, I don't think Khan has to has to do this trade and when I'm talking about people screaming "he failed" I mean elsewhere, I'm not saying anyone's a crazy here, but there are three points that I'd raise

a) This feels like a really high variance season. 12-5 wouldn't surprise me and neither would 5-12. A few best case scenarios and they might be a WR away from a contender. Conversely, Pickens gets injured, and all of a sudden getting Aiyuk might be a season saver. I'm not opposed to the Steelers completely spinning out for a season but a lot of people are.

b) At a guess Aiyuk would be here for at least four years. It's not about whether he's the needle tipper this year so much as whether he is for that next four years and what's that worth

c) I don't think Aiyuk's position in SF should weigh too heavily on how much the Steelers value him. They're probably already getting a bit of a discount, if they really want him they're better off paying rather than finding out he's a Commander in '25 or he's made his peace with SF or whatever. End of the day, what you think they should sell for matters less than what they will sell for and what you're willing to pay.

I'm not sure I want Aiyuk that much. But I do get why the Steelers' position means they might, and they might be willing to pay a good price for him, and they might be right to.

And yeah, if they don't get Aiyuk and the season does go wrong for want of receiving talent, I would hold that against the team even if I'm not big on the guy.

I think they’ll be fine at the pass catching position as long as Pickens doesn’t go down, but of course that’s a big if…

 

[Peat]

I think they’ll be fine at the pass catching position as long as Pickens doesn’t go down, but of course that’s a big if…

Eh. I think they'd need someone to emerge as a WR2 if its just Pickens, which mightn't happen.

Plus, yeah, never know when a guy is going to get an injury. An injury to Muth would be potentially ugly too and you can almost set your watch by that.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

I'm not sure I want Aiyuk that much.

I’m not sure Khan wants Aiyuk that much.

Things been dragging along all off-season. He is quick to draw a line in the sand that’s not even closer to the border of what SF wants.

He made a plan - Pickens and Austin plus Jefferson and a wide net and and a rookie - that didn’t include Aiyuk. We thought it was insufficient but Khan was fine.

He’s doing his due diligence around a really good player who seems to want to force his way off his current team and onto the Steelers. But he’s not going crazy about it.

Maybe?

 

[bigdaddyk88]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1821996253393354855

I’m not sure Khan wants Aiyuk that much.

Things been dragging along all off-season. He is quick to draw a line in the sand that’s not even closer to the border of what SF wants.

He made a plan - Pickens and Austin plus Jefferson and a wide net and and a rookie - that didn’t include Aiyuk. We thought it was insufficient but Khan was fine.

He’s doing his due diligence around a really good player who seems to want to force his way off his current team and onto the Steelers. But he’s not going crazy about it.

Maybe?

Khan has been targeting DK Ayuik and Sutland for awhile Dk sports says we also looked at Hill from Miami

 

[Ryder71]

I’m not sure Khan wants Aiyuk that much.

Things been dragging along all off-season. He is quick to draw a line in the sand that’s not even closer to the border of what SF wants.

He made a plan - Pickens and Austin plus Jefferson and a wide net and and a rookie - that didn’t include Aiyuk. We thought it was insufficient but Khan was fine.

He’s doing his due diligence around a really good player who seems to want to force his way off his current team and onto the Steelers. But he’s not going crazy about it.

Maybe?

Aiyuk is a very good WR, that's a fact. And in the context and considering the alternatives here that's a decided upgrade. Our quality beyond Pickens is bordering on criminal. So operating under that premise it would be a huge get.

 

[WickedWrister]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1821996253393354855

Ahh, the final domino to the Aiyuk deal

 

[Peat]

I’m not sure Khan wants Aiyuk that much.

Things been dragging along all off-season. He is quick to draw a line in the sand that’s not even closer to the border of what SF wants.

He made a plan - Pickens and Austin plus Jefferson and a wide net and and a rookie - that didn’t include Aiyuk. We thought it was insufficient but Khan was fine.

He’s doing his due diligence around a really good player who seems to want to force his way off his current team and onto the Steelers. But he’s not going crazy about it.

Maybe?

I mean who bloody knows at this point?

I do feel it's unusual for a GM to stay talking about trading for a guy for four months and be ready to pay him 28m+ a year if he's not that interested. It's not like the Commanders GM is hanging around for a guy who was ready to force his way there.

I also think the team has shown too much interest in WRs - from draft meetings, to visits during FA, to general trade rumours - to think Khan is take it or leave it on adding to the WR room.

But that's only maybes too.

 

[WickedWrister]

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1821996253393354855

Khan has been targeting DK Ayuik and Sutland for awhile Dk sports says we also looked at Hill from Miami

Aiyuk is a very good WR, that's a fact. And in the context and considering the alternatives here that's a decided upgrade. Our quality beyond Pickens is bordering on criminal. So operating under that premise it would be a huge get.

I mean who bloody knows at this point?

I do feel it's unusual for a GM to stay talking about trading for a guy for four months and be ready to pay him 28m+ a year if he's not that interested. It's not like the Commanders GM is hanging around for a guy who was ready to force his way there.

I also think the team has shown too much interest in WRs - from draft meetings, to visits during FA, to general trade rumours - to think Khan is take it or leave it on adding to the WR room.

But that's only maybes too.

Yeah I’m just making stuff up. The whole scenario just has a weird and funky dynamic that makes it kinda fun for me to think about.

 

[Peat]

Yeah I’m just making stuff up. The whole scenario just has a weird and funky dynamic that makes it kinda fun for me to think about.

Legit. I could believe this is an incident of the coaching staff being loud for a player and the GM making an effort but not really having his heart in it if we're speculating.

I could also believe that there's a different appetite for results now in the Rooney-Tomlin-Khan triumvirate. Maybe the no playoff win streak weighs heavier on the guys who sat in the big seats for all of it. Maybe there's an internal pressure for change among minority shareholders and/or the Rooney family that doesn't touch Khan... or maybe it touches Khan most and he's pressing for this to work but the coaches are going "man, you can't give up this player" and Rooney is reluctant to give up a 1st.

So many possibilities.

 

[T1K]

Tomlin is on RC’s pod. I’ll share any interesting tidbits, just started listening.

 

[WickedWrister]

Steelers would be fools not to kick the tires on a top 10 player at a position of need that you can get at a discount - who apparently only wants to go to 1 other team.

 

[xlm34]

Yeah I’m just making stuff up. The whole scenario just has a weird and funky dynamic that makes it kinda fun for me to think about.

I just don’t think that SF can really make up their mind which is making this whole situation complicated. It seems like they want him back but only on their terms but the the fact that they are now open to trading him instead of 3 months ago is bizarre.

If waiting on a guy like Aiyuk wasn’t the Steelers plan then I definitely question their whole approach during free agency.

 

[Colonel Mustard]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1822009329928851475

I guess its over