49ers Demanded Massive Trade Haul for Brandon Aiyuk

The San Francisco 49ers did not trade star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk during the 2024 NFL Draft, despite interest from the Pittsburgh Steelers and other teams, and now it’s becoming clear why.

According to a report by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the 49ers were demanding a massive package in return for their star wide receiver. 

The 49ers had previously been reported to want pick No. 17 and a player from the Jacksonville Jaguars, and it doesn’t seem that general manager John Lynch moved off that line much.

49ers wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel celebrate after a touchdown, Sept. 11, 2023 – Ed Thompson / Steelers Now

According to Fowler, teams were told during the draft that the 49ers wanted a first-round pick for Aiyuk, and one compared the haul that would have been required to land him to the trade that sent A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022.

That trade saw the Eagles sending pick No. 18 overall and a third-round pick at No. 101 to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for Brown. Unlike Brown, who was still playing under his rookie contract, Aiyuk will be priced at his $14.1 million fifth-year option amount for 2024, meaning the same trade would have been more costly for a team willing to dish out that return this time around.

The Steelers could have gotten near that value, as they held picks No. 20 and N0. 98 overall. They used those picks on tackle Troy Fautanu and linebacker Payton Wilson.

They drafted wide receiver Roman Wilson out of Michigan with the No. 84 overall pick in the third round. Wilson is expected to largely play in the slot, as he did with the Wolverines, and the Steelers appear to still be looking for another big-play wide receiver to pair with George Pickens on the outside.

The 49ers also briefly considered trading fellow wide receiver Deebo Samuel on the second day of the draft, but decided not to make him available.