Steelers news and commentary from Thursday, April 4th

Welcome to the Terrible Towel Tales, where we’ll highlight some of the latest stories permeating Steelers media for your reading pleasure every Monday through Saturday. In today’s news…

Analyst Floats Brandon Aiyuk Trade Package for Steelers | Nick Farabaugh, Steelers Now

After the Buffalo Bills dealt Stefon Diggs and two day three picks to the Houston Texans for a second-round pick in 2025, the flames around the Brandon Aiyuk trade rumors ignited once again, with most people pondering what the Diggs trade meant for an Aiyuk price tag. In reality, the 49ers have not expressed much interest in trading Aiyuk, at least not yet, but if that happens, Bleacher Report floated one possible deal. And the Steelers could be in on him.

The deal would be the Steelers trading their first-round pick (20th overall) and one of their third-round picks (98th overall) for Aiyuk and a fourth-round pick from the 49ers (132nd overall). Pittsburgh would still have to pay Aiyuk, too, but that deal seems reasonable.

Seahawks Analyst Slams Steelers QB Russell Wilson | Noah Strackbein, All Steelers

“Some of the stuff you see now that seems kind of corny and canned, the rah-rah stuff with Russ, was more authentic back then. The dude competed; he was a gamer. And honestly, they don’t win a Super Bowl without him,” Furness said. “A lot of things started to change when (he got married to Ciara) and he became a, ‘Look at me guy.’ He became a problem inside the facility, with the front office, and with the staff, and it just snowballed from there until they traded him.”

A Cowboys-Steelers trade to eliminate all talk of Ezekiel Elliott reunion | Christopher Kline, FanSided

It shouldn’t take much to pry Najee Harris away from Pittsburgh. The former first-round pick is entering the final year of his contract, worth $4.2 million, with a club option for $6.8 million in 2025. There’s a strong chance the Cowboys wouldn’t exercise the club option, so even a fourth-round pick could be a little rich.

With Harris, there is an undeniable talent and pedigree. He has a Pro Bowl on his resumé and he was steadfastly deployed as the Steelers’ primary running back last season. That said, Jaylen Warren was significantly more impactful in his limited reps, averaging 5.3 yards per carry compared to Harris’ 4.1 YPC. Pittsburgh surely prefers another by-committee approach, but it could be time to cement Warren as the headliner.