After falling to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game, the Pittsburgh Steelers are hoping to contend for a Super Bowl title in 2017. They have a secondary that improved immensely in the second half of last season, their rookies T.J. Watt and James Conner are generating a lot of buzz, and they already have perhaps the most explosive offense in the NFL. Barring serious injuries, the Steelers should be right in the thick of things again this year.

One of the few weak links on their offense was the tight end position. Following the retirement of Heath Miller, Jesse James and Ladarius Green manned the position, but neither made a significant impact. So, rather than stand pat, Pittsburgh's front office decided to make a move for San Francisco 49ers TE, Vance McDonald.

Via the official statement from the Niners:

The San Francisco 49ers announced on Tuesday that they have traded tight end Vance McDonald to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for an undisclosed draft choice. McDonald must pass a physical for the trade to be executed.

“We would like to thank Vance for his contributions to this organization on the field and in the community over the last four seasons,” said 49ers General Manager John Lynch. “Although I have only known Vance for a short time, I quickly learned that he and his wife, Kendi, have been tremendous representatives for the team in the community and their service to others is quite commendable. We wish the McDonald family all the best as they move on to a new opportunity in Pittsburgh.”

It was later revealed that the Steelers also received a fifth-round pick from San Francisco and sent a fourth-round selection back to the 49ers.

During his four years by the Bay, the second-round pick played in 48 games (30 starts) while racking up 64 receptions, 866 yards, and seven touchdowns. Most of that production came last season, leading to a three-year, $19.65 million contract in December that came from the previous administration. Lynch and company want to rebuild, so opening up that cap space is the primary reason they chose to move McDonald and his cap hit.