The Pittsburgh Steelers’ months-long pursuit of San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyik is over. There will be no Steelers trade as Aiyuk agreed to a four-year extension with the San Francisco 49ers, according to a report by Adam Schefter of ESPN.
The Steelers and general manager Omar Khan spent months pursuing the former All-Pro. The Steelers had worked out a new contract extension with Aiyuk and even had agreed on a trade price with the 49ers, but San Francisco general manager John Lynch was unwilling to pull the trigger on that deal, instead preferring to meet Aiyuk’s asking price himself.
Aiyuk’s new deal is for four years and $120 million, making him one of the highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL.
It is currently unclear where the Steelers will turn after failing to land the top available wide receiver in the trade market.
The Steelers have stood pat while several other wide receivers became available and ended up with other teams, including the Washington Commanders trading former first-round pick Jahan Dotson to the Philadelphia Eagles and two released veterans this week, Tim Patrick of the Denver Broncos and Noah Brown of the Houston Texans.
The Steelers have been searching for additional wide receiver depth since trading Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers for cornerback Dante Jackson in March.
The team currently has just five receivers on its active roster, with George Pickens and Van Jefferson in line to start, followed by Calvin Austin III, currently injured rookie Roman Wilson, and Scotty Miller.