Where Things Stand in Steelers, Brandon Aiyuk Saga
The latest on the Pittsburgh Steelers trade saga regarding San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
The Pittsburgh Steelers remain in talks with the San Francisco 49ers to acquire star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, as Steelers Now first reported months ago.
Those talks have intensified over the last 48 hours, though there is no sense from team sources that a deal is done or imminent at this hour. That being said, things have progressed rapidly over the last couple of days.
The Steelers have been interested in trading for Aiyuk since early this offseason, and the two sides were in significant contact around the 2024 NFL Draft, before which the Steelers restructured the contract of outside linebacker Alex Highsmith in order to have the cap space necessary to make a move. At that point, the 49ers did not want to trade Aiyuk, and preferred to make a deal for fellow wide receiver Deebo Samuel. That trade fell through, with the Steelers saying no to the Niners’ asking price, a league source confirmed to SN, and as has been reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.
Since then, the conversation has been nearly silent, and a team source told SN at the beginning of training camp than an Aiyuk deal seemed “unrealistic.” General manager Omar Khan said that the wide receiver trade market was dry during his camp-opening press conference.
“There is nothing going on right now,” Khan said on July 25. “I’ll tell you this, when you have 32 GMs, conversations always happen, but there’s nothing ongoing right now.”
So what has changed in the last 48 hours that has the rumor mill overflowing when it comes to the Steelers and Aiyuk?
The first thing is that the 49ers have become slightly more active sellers. General manager John Lynch has been steadfast in saying that he does not want to trade Aiyuk. According to a source close to the 49ers, the team has always believed that Aiyuk would fold and reduce his contract demands, particularly after he reported to training camp.
But that confidence has worn thin in recent days, and the 49ers are doing their due diligence to find out what the trade market might be if Aiyuk doesn’t back down. Part of that process has been opening the door to let other general managers contact Aiyuk’s agent, in order to negotiate terms of an extension. Steelers Now has been told that the Steelers are among those teams.
The second thing that has happened is that Aiyuk, now having an idea of the potential suitors involved in the process, has made his preference to be traded to Pittsburgh clear. Aiyuk has also said this offseason that he would like to play for the Washington Commanders with his college teammate Jayden Daniels, but the Commanders are not believed to be part of the Aiyuk sweepstakes at this time, or at least not nearly as serious of suitors as the Steelers are.
Does that mean he’ll be traded to the Steelers? Not necessarily. The 49ers may elect to play hardball and call Aiyuk’s bluff that he is willing to miss games and paychecks in order to facilitate a deal. They may also look at what is being offered in response and decide that over-paying Aiyuk by a few million is a better outcome than trading him for a mediocre return.
Another team could also make a significantly better offer to the 49ers and/or Aiyuk. It’s easier for rebuilding teams like the New England Patriots to send pieces from their roster to San Francisco, where the 49ers are trying to win a Super Bowl this year and have minimal desire to add future draft picks. Pats wide receiver Kendrick Bourne and Amari Cooper of the Cleveland Browns have both come up as potential trade swaps for Aiyuk.
The Steelers do not have a comparable player or a surplus in very many places on their roster, except perhaps offense line. Even there, Dan Moore would obviously be of no help to a 49ers team with Trent Williams. Perhaps Nate Herbig or James Daniels could be of interest, but either way, the bulk of the Pittsburgh offer would have to be in draft compensation, which is less than ideal from the 49ers’ perspective.
Unlike what you may have heard on X on Monday, a trade between the Steelers and 49ers is not a done deal. But it remains possible, and certainly seems more possible than it did just a few days ago.
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