Adam Thielen to Steelers? NFL insider delivers update ahead of trade deadline
Will the Pittsburgh Steelers make a move for a wide recevier before the 2024 NFL trade deadline expires Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET? One insider says it could happen.
It's no secret that the Steelers have been phoning teams trying to acquire a wide receiver before the trade deadline. It appears their main target is now Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen.
The 34-year-old veteran wide receiver is expected to be availabe for trade for the right price. With the trade deadline nearly three hours away, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter gave an update on Pittsburgh and Carolina potentially pulling off a deal for Thielen during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. He said that compensation is still an issue, but a trade could still happen.
"I think that the Steelers would have some level of interest. Again, the compensation has to be right. So far, the two sides have been unable to bridge any differences there. We now have three hours and 44 minutes left for the two sides to figure it out to see if they could. I was told this morning, I doubt it."
"Now let me say this on that particular trade. Nothing is ever final on trade deadline day. I've heard doubted, I've heard it's off, like last night, I heard the Za'Darius Smith thing that the Browns and Lions were struggling to make it happen. And then boom, you wake up, the two sides figure it out."
Steelers were ready to acquire Christian Kirk from the Jaguars before he got hurt
The Steelers are thin at the wide receiver position, hence their interest in adding one via trade. While George Pickens is a solid wide receiver, leading the team in receptions and receiving yards, no other Steelers receiver has more than 14 catches or 257 yards through the first eight games of the season.
The Steelers were in the process of acquiring Jacksonville Jaguars wide recevier Christian Kirk, according to Schefter. Kirk then broke his collarbone in Week 8 against the Green Bay Packers, ending his 2024 season.
"The Steelers were in the process of trying to get a deal done for Christian Kirk, and league sources told ESPN there was a reasonable chance that the Jaguars wide receiver was going to wind up in Pittsburgh until he broke his collarbone last Sunday."
Will it be Thielen, a different wide receiver, or will Pittsburgh lose out on acquiring another pass-catcher for the season? We'll find out in nearly three hours when the 2024 NFL trade deadline expires.