The Falcons open the season at home against the Steelers in a reunion with Arthur Smith. Mike Tomlin coached teams are always a tough task, and Pittsburgh could be getting a big boost in the form of Brandon Aiyuk.
NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday that the Steelers and 49ers have a trade worked out that would send Aiyuk to Pittsburgh, but Aiyuk also has a long-term contract offer from the Niners on the table that he hasn’t accepted.
Aiyuk is coming off a season in which he was named second-team All-Pro for San Francisco, notching a career-best 1,342 receiving yards in just 16 games. The Steelers offense already features a pass catching core of George Pickens, Pat Freiermuth, and Darnell Washington. If a true WR1 joins that group like Brandon Aiyuk, the Falcons might be in trouble.
It’s no secret what the weakness of this Atlanta team is. The defense has more questions than answers, and those potential answers have even started dropping with injuries.
A cornerback room of A.J. Terrell, Mike Hughes, Clark Phillips, Dee Alford, Kevin King, and Antonio Hamilton will have its hands full if a Brandon Aiyuk trade comes to fruition.
It won’t get any easier for the Falcons, though. In the first month of the season, they’ll see some of the best pass catchers in the league — A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Travis Kelce, Chris Olave, and Mike Evans. We’ll quickly learn how competent the secondary and pass rush are even if a Brandon Aiyuk trade doesn’t happen.
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Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire
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