In what is turning into one of the most prolonged trade scenarios in NFL history, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is seemingly about to be on his way to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Niners have reached an impasse with the star wideout, still holding out for the possibility of signing him to a contract extension.
Aiyuk has been searching for trades and seems to have one with the Steelers in place. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, talks between the 49ers and Steelers have been “quiet in recent days” as Pittsburgh still remains “motivated” to get a deal done.
Trade talks around Brandon Aiyuk “quiet” as 49ers consider options
The Steelers would immensely benefit from trading for Aiyuk, who's about to enter his age-26 season after a campaign with 1,342 receiving yards, 75 receptions and seven touchdowns. He would make for a great option to grow next to George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth, taking the burden of being a top option that defenses would actually have to focus on, allowing the other youngsters to get going.
The 49ers losing Aiyuk, their top pass-catching threat, would be a tough blow for their offense, even if they can still manage a good return in a trade. Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle are all still great but going from an embarrassment of riches to a simply great collection of skill players would make San Francisco much less of a threat. The Niners would still be great, perhaps even still the best NFC team, but they’d have to make some major adjustments.
San Francisco letting this saga occur so soon ahead of the regular season is bad management of its roster. The front office should have pushed harder for a contract extension since obviously, understandably, trading away such a great player is not what a Super Bowl contender should do. Given the pace of this saga, it wouldn’t be surprising to watch it spill into the regular season.
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