The Brandon Aiyuk saga with the San Francisco 49ers seems like it’s never ending. At this point, I’m sure a lot of Steelers fans are tired of hearing about the possibility of Aiyuk landing with Pittsburgh.
Would the Steelers even want to deal with the potential drama that Aiyuk could bring? He sure has acted like a diva this offseason with a slew of cryptic social media posts. He even admitted on The Pivot that he uses social media for leverage in his contract negotiations.
“Social media is a way for me to leverage myself and what I’m trying to get… I’m just trying to get the facts out there,” Aiyuk said.
Aiyuk took to social media to express his displeasure at the lack of movement last month, posting a video to TikTok where he told Jaylen Daniels that the 49ers “don’t want me.”
Aiyuk seemingly really wants to reunite with Daniels in Washington. The two were college teammates at Arizona State.
“When you talk about social media, shit, there’s a quarterback right there (in reference to Daniels). I’m thinking about what I could do with him. I’m thinking about if the Niners don’t want me to come back to play with them. I’m thinking about what I could do, I know what I could do,” Aiyuk told The Pivot.
Aiyuk even posted an All-22 Washington practice clip of Daniels on TikTok. … Many thought that was kind of bizarre.
1) Brandon Aiyuk posted a Washington practice clip of Jayden Daniels on TikTok
2) Let me get that practice All-22 BA. #RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/DAXOn6EQne
— Josh Taylor (@JoshTaylorFB) July 7, 2024
Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette thinks Aiyuk’s social media antics should raise some red flags for the Steelers.
“It’s just been strange the way this has all played out with Aiyuk,” Batko said on the North Shore Drive Podcast . “He’s not only a guy who’s a bit disgruntled and feels he needs to be paid more compared to his peers around the league, but the way he’s handled all of this, too, has been sort of bizarre. That’s the one thing, it’s like does that not give us any pause or any hesitation in Steeler Nation land? I’m not saying he’s a bad guy or anything, but just the way he’s filming himself FaceTiming and putting some behind-the-scenes business out there on Front Street, it just makes me wonder what would be the dynamic if he comes in here with George Pickens? And clearly, I don’t think he would come here unless the Steelers are ready to back the Brinks truck up for him, and what kind of schism does that cause?”
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 Commanders are at +1000 to land Aiyuk in a trade.
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.