Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ hopes of landing one playmaker may have already been crushed.
The Pittsburgh Steelers may have thought they finally had the answer for their No. 2 wide receiver vacancy when San Francisco 49ers’ Jauan Jennings demanded a new contract or to be traded on Monday. However, ESPN insider Adam Schefter doesn’t think they are going to get their wish.
“Several teams have already inquired about Jauan Jennings availability, but the 49ers said they have no desire in trading the wide receiver,” Schefter said on NFL Live.
It’s unclear if the Steelers were one of the teams that called the 49ers to check on the availability of Jennings, but it’s safe to assume they were given how aggressive general manager Omar Khan has been.
Either way, it’s a tough blow for Pittsburgh, which is still without a legitimate playmaker to play across DK Metcalf in its offense, and Jennings could have been the perfect fit.
The 28-year-old is coming off the best season of his five-year NFL career. In 2024, he recorded a career-high 77 catches for 975 yards and six touchdowns while helping to fill in for injured wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who suffered a torn ACL.
Jennings is scheduled to make just $7.5 million this season but clearly wants a raise thanks to his uptick in production last year. It’s also unclear how much of a raise he’s hoping to receive, but his market value is believed to be a two-year, $20 million deal, per Spotrac.
Meanwhile, the Steelers have about $10.595 million in salary cap space, according to Over The Cap, and the ability to make even more with what seems to be an inevitable contract extension for All-Pro outside linebacker T.J. Watt.
Unfortunately, none of that matters for Pittsburgh if Schefter is correct in his reporting that San Francisco isn’t even willing to hear out interested teams.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Wide Receiver Target is Off the Board
