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Steelers Emerge as Favorites to Land Brandon Aiyuk
49ers All-Pro wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk’s patience is wearing thin with San Francisco. On Tuesday, he officially requested a trade after an offseason of unsuccessful attempts to reach an extension, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.
Aiyuk met with the Niners last month but the two sides haven’t engaged in negotiations since May, so Aiyuk has respectfully asked to part ways.
Bookies.com veteran oddsmaker Adam Thompson has revealed his betting odds for Aiyuk’s next team in 2024, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are the favorites at +400. The Los Angeles Chargers have the second-best odds at +425, followed by the New England Patriots (+450), 49ers (+500) and Arizona Cardinals (+800).
Surprisingly, the Washington Commanders are at +1000 to land Aiyuk in a trade. The Commanders emerged as a possible favorite to land Aiyuk because of his close connection with Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels. The two were teammates at Arizona State.
The Steelers and Commanders were the two teams that Aiyuk mentioned that he would like to play for if negotiations went sideways with San Fran.
“Probably a 49ers uniform, if not a 49ers uniform probably a Washington Commanders uniform. If not a Washington Commanders uniform, probably Steelers uniform,” Aiyuk said on The Pivot.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the 49ers have told teams that Aiyuk he is not on the trade block. That has been the stance from San Francisco’s front office all offseason.
NFL insider Josina Anderson reports that within the last couple of weeks the New England Patriots reached out to the 49ers inquiring about Aiyuk again and were told the talented wide receiver was not being traded at the time.
As it stands now, the Steelers’ wide receiver corps is one of the worst in the NFL. It’s George Pickens and a bunch of question marks. The Steelers’ brass seems comfortable with their receiver depth, however. Arthur Smith thinks someone is going to rise up to occasion. If that doesn’t occur, Pittsburgh could face problems with teams placing double coverage on Pickens.
Aiyuk wants at least $30 million per year, so I’m not sure if Steelers general manager Omar Khan would pull the trigger on a trade. The Steelers would have to give up significant draft capital to acquire Aiyuk, as well. It just doesn’t seem like a Steelers-type of move, but Khan has showcased that he’s not afraid to make bold decisions.
If a trade came to fruition, it would suggest that the Steelers are going all-in and in a win-now mode. The 49ers have to be willing to move Aiyuk, though. And signs of that happening don’t seem optimistic from San Francisco’s side.
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