There's nothing in sports like a trade frenzy surrounding a coveted player. We're seeing this play out again with the San Francisco 49ers-Brandon Aiyuk trade saga. As of Wednesday, the elite wideout remains with the 49ers pending a successful trade with any team willing to take on Aiyuk's contract. Moreover, another wrinkle stalling a potential deal is Brandon Aiyuk's leverage over negotiations. For one thing, the wide receiver can simply refuse to sign an extension with his possible new team and the trade is off. Exercising his leverage was also the reason for the New England Patriots ending their Aiyuk pursuit last Tuesday.
We might also be seeing this leverage play in full effect as Aiyuk's agent, Ryan Williams, has appeared at the Las Vegas Raiders training camp. During an episode of Inside Training Camp Live, we can see the receiver's agent standing behind the three hosts discussing his client's trade situation.
However, as of this appearance, no deal remains in place with any team. Likewise, Williams himself refused to talk to reporters. “I asked him to come join us, give us an update, give us the best information he can possibly give, and he's like, ‘Nope, I am not commenting,'” according to NFL insider Mike Garafolo on the show broadcast on NFL Network.
“He did say to me, ‘Nothing is done,'” Garafolo continued. “He also said, ‘Stop paying attention to everything you read on X.'”
Brandon Aiyuk's trade circus with the 49ers
“There is no deal for Brandon Aiyuk to go anywhere as we sit here,” Garafolo added as Williams left the screen. “The 49ers have had those trade talks with multiple teams, including the Pittsburgh Steelers, from what I understand, but there is no trade agreement in place. There is no contract finalized. There is nothing done at this point.”
Still, Garafolo believes a deal is close to coming together.
“I think we're getting close,” he said. “I really and truly and honestly believe that we are getting close. We are not there yet.”
While fans continue to wait for a bombshell announcement regarding the trade, the rumor mill keeps churning on. For instance, after balking at the 49ers' demands, the Steelers have reportedly returned to the table to negotiate with the 49ers on a deal. The result of these discussions was a verbal agreement between the Steelers and 49ers, with both sides continuing to fine-tune the details, including Aiyuk's new contract.
They certainly want to avoid a repeat of what happened to the Patriots. Still, whatever the result of this ongoing saga, the real winner might be Brandon Aiyuk himself, with a new multimillion-dollar contract and a new team where he can start fresh.
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