First Call: Latest on what Steelers are willing to give 49ers for Brandon Aiyuk; Mason Rudolph's comeback win for Titans
Monday’s “First Call” has the latest scuttlebutt coming out of San Francisco about the Pittsburgh Steelers’ level of interest in 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
One ex-Steeler was a standout in a preseason game, another has been released, and a third is retiring at a young age.
Plus, we preview the Pirates’ next series in Texas.
More conflicting information
The latest contrasting reports about the possibility of a Brandon Aiyuk trade are coming from San Francisco.
Back on Aug. 9, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco wrote that the Steelers were unwilling to ship a second-round and a third-round pick to San Francisco in exchange for the disgruntled wide receiver.
On Saturday, though, Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the Steelers would meet that request. However, the Niners still want a player of some significance in return, along with the draft choices.
“The 49ers, who are in Last Dance mode, want a current player included in any trade,” Silver wrote via transcription at Steelers Depot. “The Steelers were unwilling to part with any of the starters (such as receiver George Pickens, tight end Pat Freiermuth or safety Minkah Fitzpatrick) the 49ers craved. Pittsburgh is willing to give up second- and third-round draft picks, however, leading the 49ers to explore a different strategy: Using one of those picks to pry a productive wide receiver from a third team in a separate trade.”
When you see the potential names mentioned (Fitzpatrick, Freiermuth or Pickens), you can see why Steelers general manager Omar Khan has balked at the requested package.
But the asking price of a second-rounder and third-rounder isn’t a big deal in my eyes. Aiyuk is definitely worth a second-round selection. And if Omar Khan is half the general manager we make him out to be (you know, #KhanArtist n’at), he’ll be able to figure out a way to trade back into the third round before the end of April.
That’s not an overwhelming task.
Nothing new
We’ve seen Mason Rudolph lead comeback wins during preseason games as a Steeler in the recent past. Now, he is doing it in Nashville as well.
The former Steelers quarterback led a game-winning, field-goal drive for the Tennessee Titans en route to a 16-15 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday.
WALK-OFF WINNER @20Brayden
????: Watch #SEAvsTEN on @WKRN and NFL+ pic.twitter.com/clVcg6d7Tx
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) August 18, 2024
Down by two points, Rudolph took the Titans into field goal range after starting on his own 30-yard-line with just under two minutes remaining. On the drive, he completed three passes and had a nifty scramble to set up Brayden Narveson’s game-winning kick.
On the night, Rudolph was 10 of 17 for 125 yards and a touchdown. The scoring strike went to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.
Mr. Reliable
????: Watch #SEAvsTEN on @WKRN and NFL+ pic.twitter.com/0txTtABvb6
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) August 18, 2024
The Titans’ usual starter, Will Levis, didn’t participate in the game. Malik Willis got the start. He was 12 of 16 for 116 yards, with no touchdowns, two sacks, an interception and 30 rushing yards.
That didn’t last long
As it turns out, the Steelers will not be seeing former teammate James Washington when the franchise visits Atlanta in the regular-season opener.
That’s because the Falcons released the former Steelers wide receiver. Atlanta made some waves by signing two-time Pro Bowl safety Justin Simmons over the weekend. The team’s corresponding move was to release Washington.
After signing with Atlanta on July 29, the 28-year-old Washington was with the Falcons for their first two preseason games but didn’t catch any passes.
The former Oklahoma State Cowboy played in Pittsburgh from 2018-21. He had 114 catches for 1,629 yards and 11 touchdowns during that time.
After leaving the Steelers, the former second-round draft pick went to the Dallas Cowboys. He played two games for them, but most of his time in Dallas was hampered by a foot fracture he suffered during training camp in 2022. He also latched on briefly with the Giants, Saints and Colts but never played.
More sports
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Ola’s au revoir
Another former Steeler, Ola Adeniyi, is retiring from pro football.
The 26-year-old linebacker made that announcement on Instagram.
“I will forever be grateful to the game that changed not just my life, but my family’s as well,” Adeniyi said in the post. “Thank you to the Pittsburgh Steelers for taking a chance on a young Nigerian kid, and to the Tennessee Titans for allowing that kid to grow and develop into a young man. I’m truly excited for what’s next.”
The Steelers signed Adeniyi out of Toledo as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He was a reserve outside linebacker and special teams contributor in Pittsburgh for three years. He totaled 25 tackles in 32 games here.
For the next two years, Adeniyi played in Tennessee and recorded 2½ sacks and 24 tackles in 19 games. But he didn’t play in the NFL in 2023.
At Toledo, Adeniyi was an All-MAC selection after racking up 8.5 sacks.
Fast fall
After taking two of three games from the Seattle Mariners at PNC Park this weekend, the Pirates are staying in the American League West for the next series. But this one is on the road in Arlington, Texas, starting Monday.
The Bucs are visiting the World Series champion Rangers for three games. The two teams have very similar records, as the Rangers have been unable to defend their title successfully.
They come into the three-game set 57-68. The Pirates are 58-65. The teams are a combined 8-23 in August.
Texas just won a crazy game game on Sunday over the Minnesota Twins, 6-5.
All walk-offs are not created equally. #StraightUpTX pic.twitter.com/JAMkBAsqIu
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) August 18, 2024
Before that result, manager Bruce Bochy’s team had lost three in a row and nine of its last 11 games.
Luis Ortiz starts Game 1 for the Pirates on Monday. The Buccos have lost his last four starts as he has yielded 15 earned runs along the way.
Mitch Keller is on the mound Tuesday. He gave up eight earned runs in his last outing, an 8-2 loss in San Diego. His turn before that resulted in a 9-5 defeat in Los Angeles on Aug. 9. The right-hander gave up seven earned runs that day.
Paul Skenes’ next regular spot in the rotation would be Wednesday for the afternoon game at Globe Life Field. But that’s now a TBA game for the Pirates. They may be holding Skenes back a day so they can soak an extra home start out of him when the Cincinnati Reds come to town beginning Thursday.
The Game 1 starter for the Rangers is not yet public. Cody Bradford (4-0, 3.50) will get the call on Tuesday. Texas is TBA for Wednesday too.
Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via X. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.
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