Throughout the entire Spring and leading up to the NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers were mired around trade rumors for 49ers star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. But that never materialized, and the 49ers declared their intentions to move forward with Aiyuk and fellow wide receiver Deebo Samuel. However, those contract discussions are apparently not going swimmingly, as Mike Garafolo of NFL Network stated that Aiyuk and the 49ers are still not close on their contract talks.
“The teams that checked in got a sense that no, they weren’t interested in doing it (a trade),” Garafolo said. “That’s what they said. So, now it’s back on the table to get a contract extension done. And it doesn’t seem like they are any closer at this point. Don’t expect to see Aiyuk around for anything that’s voluntary and let’s see about the mandatory stuff as well with him.”
That is not surprising, but this is about Brandon Aiyuk trying to put some pressure on the 49ers to get the contract done. Since those negotiations have kicked off, guys like A.J. Brown and Amon Ra-St.Brown has been paid over $30 million annually, which could alter what Aiyuk sought in his discussions with the 49ers. And if he were ever to be traded, that would impact what the team acquiring him would also have to pay.
Garafolo added that Aiyuk had not requested a trade out of San Francisco but that if things go down a winding road to where it’s either a contract or trade, that button could get pushed. But that is likelier to occur more towards training camp than anywhere around this time. So, the Steelers will have to wait on someone like Aiyuk and others, like Courtland Sutton, to see where the contract situations go this Summer as they play out.