Who Should I Start? Deebo Samuel or George Pickens

Wednesday, May 1, 2:04 PM

The San Francisco 49ers were engaged in trade talks involving wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel leading up to the draft, but the team elected not to trade either of their star receivers, with all signs pointing toward both being on the 2024 roster. Aiyuk is entering the final year of his rookie deal, and the assumption was that he'd be the odd man out after the team paid Samuel and other star players. Samuel still has two years left on the deal he signed before the 2022 season. San Fran has been to at least the NFC Championship game in four of the last five seasons, and losing Aiyuk or Samuel would almost certainly make the team worse in 2024. The 49ers can afford to keep both this year, but an Aiyuk extension would likely reduce his $14.124 million salary cap number for 2024. Samuel's fantasy value would have likely taken a hit with a move out of the Bay Area.

Sunday, April 7, 9:36 PM

According to Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth, he recently got together with new quarterback Russell Wilson in San Diego for throwing drills. Also in attendance were Calvin Austin III and Van Jefferson, who signed with the Steelers a few weeks ago. Interestingly enough, wideout George Pickens reportedly skipped out on participating with the group. Although a reason hasn't been revealed, it's something to monitor ahead of offseason workouts and moving toward training camp. However, with Wilson looking to bounce back from an unproductive year, not having his No. 1 wideout join him for voluntary drills isn't ideal. It also isn't a good look for Pickens, who fell below expectations throughout the 2023-24 campaign.