Get ready for another round of Brandon Aiyuk trade drama. We give you some more texture to Roman Wilson’s lack of participation during the 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers season. You’ll be introduced to a potential Steelers draft prospect with a local connection.

Plus, we preview the Penguins’ busy weekend and update Alex Ovechkin’s goal chase.

All that in Friday’s “First Call.”

Here we go again

Early this week, “The Athletic’s” Diana Russini said there were “some teams poking around to see if the 49ers would be willing to deal Brandon Aiyuk.”

When asked about that story at the NFL Scouting Combine, San Francisco general manager John Lynch did nothing to quell the conversation.

“That typically happens with really good players,” Lynch said in a post by SI.com’s Grant Cohn. “I remember two years ago having similar conversations. You get calls, and you always listen to calls. Since Kyle (Shanahan) and I have been here, we’ve been the No. 2 cash-spending team. In the last four years, we’re the fourth-highest cash-spending team. So, at some point, you have to reset a little bit or at least recalibrate. You can’t just keep pressing the pedal.”

It was just last offseason when we tracked a months-long saga of the 49ers potentially trading Aiyuk before they eventually signed him to a four-year, $120 million contract extension. The Steelers were frequently mentioned as the primary potential trade partner for San Francisco, but a deal never materialized.

Aiyuk went on to catch just 25 passes for 374 yards and no touchdowns in seven games before suffering a season-ending knee injury during the 49ers’ loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 20.

As Cohn pointed out, Aiyuk would’ve commanded at least a first-round pick and likely more in a trade. As he said (and I agree with), now, after Aiyuk tore his ACL and MCL, “They’ll be lucky to get a third-round pick for him.”

The Niners are also allegedly in the market to trade fellow wide receiver Deebo Samuel. The Steelers are believed to be a potential landing spot for him.

There is no word if the Steelers were one of those teams “poking around” about renewing discussions with Lynch about Aiyuk.

’Rome’ wasn’t built in … a year

For those of us who wondered if Roman Wilson’s lack of participation throughout his rookie year was about more than just his training camp injury, a story on the team’s own website is lending credibility to that speculation.

In his “Asked and Answered” mailbag at Steelers.com, Bob Labriola posted a question about Wilson’s lack of participation all year.

“My understanding of the situation is that at no point was there a legitimate level of confidence that Roman Wilson understood the offense and his responsibilities within it to the degree that would allow him to execute it at game speed during the stretch run of an NFL regular season,” Labriola said.

There was a general undercurrent that Wilson may have had issues getting up to speed in time for an NFL game during his rookie season beyond just his ankle injury suffered early in training camp. Labriola’s comments seem to confirm that hunch.

A third-rounder out of Michigan, Wilson injured an ankle on the sixth snap of the first padded practice at Saint Vincent College.

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Irish eyes were smiling

A potential first-round pick with some local ties met with the Steelers at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison is rated as the third-best corner on the board and the No. 31 prospect overall by CBS Sports.com. Via a transcript from Steelers Depot, the 20-year-old says he spoke with Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.

He also discussed a lifelong affinity for the team and some Pittsburgh roots.

“It was cool,” Morrison said of meeting Tomlin. “It was a dream come true. My mom is from Pittsburgh, so growing up looking at them — it was always a dream to meet him one day. That was a surreal moment but also, it’s a job interview. So, I couldn’t be a fanboy.”

Morrison (6 foot, 190 pounds) had his final season in South Bend cut short by a hip injury after just six games. Over 31 contests with the Irish, Morrison intercepted nine passes and broke up a total of 18. He also racked up 84 tackles.

The Phoenix native also told NBC’s Chris Simms that his idol growing up was Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. His father, Darryl Morrison, was a safety with Washington from 1993-96.

Friendly flashback

The 2009 Penguins team was top-of-mind Thursday night with Max Talbot bobblehead doll night taking place at PPG Paints Arena. So it’s only appropriate that one of Talbot’s teammates scored with another team celebrating a throwback theme.

Pens alum Jordan Staal helped Carolina beat the Buffalo Sabres, 5-2, by scoring his 11th goal of the season.

Captain Clutch ???? pic.twitter.com/sy8IQeDvWT

— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) February 28, 2025

The Canes played in their Hartford Whalers jerseys. That’s an homage to the franchise’s former hometown. That victory gives Carolina 72 points, 12 back of Washington for the Metropolitan Division lead.

Speaking of the Capitals, they were at home Thursday against St. Louis and lost 5-2. Alexander Ovechkin didn’t score. So he remains at 883 goals. That’s still 12 away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career record of 894.

Weekend warriors

Thursday’s 5-4 overtime win against the Philadelphia Flyers snapped the Penguins’ losing streak at four games. It was their first victory since the 4 Nations Face-Off ended.

After a day off Friday, the Pens play two more games at home this weekend. They welcome the Boston Bruins at 3 p.m. Saturday. Then the Toronto Maple Leafs come to PPG Paints Arena at 1 p.m. Sunday.

The Bruins are struggling too. They have lost five in a row after dropping a 2-1 home contest to the New York Islanders on Thursday. Ilya Sorokin stopped 38 shots en route to victory. Kyle Palmieri got the eventual game winner.

PALMIERI ON THE REBOUND! #LGI | @FORD pic.twitter.com/Xq20F3r880

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) February 28, 2025

As for the Leafs, they are in New York to battle the Rangers on Friday night. They’ll enter that game on a hot streak, winning three in a row and six of seven. Toronto has 74 points. That’s good for second place in the Atlantic Division, one point behind the Florida Panthers.

Toronto’s Mitch Marner has 73 points to lead the team. That’s tied for fifth in all of the NHL. William Nylander has 33 goals to lead the club. Only Leon Draisaitl (44) of Edmonton has more in the NHL this season.

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