In this edition of “As the Brandon Aiyuk Turns,” it was revealed that the Pittsburgh Steelers offered a second- and third-round draft pick to the San Francisco 49ers in order to acquire the disgruntled wide receiver, which is pretty remarkable considering that's what the 49ers were reportedly looking for.
Matt Maiocco reported a week and a half ago that the Steelers were not willing to meet the 49ers' trade demands, writing more specifically, “The Steelers may want Aiyuk, but they're unwilling to meet the 49ers' asking price for draft picks, including second- and third-round picks.”
But according to Mike Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Steelers are now willing to meet that demand. The only problem is, the 49ers still want the player and are out of luck. Silver writes that the Steelers are willing to trade one of their draft picks for a wide receiver from another team. Unfortunately, the Steelers haven't found anyone willing to work with them.
The 49ers are in last-dance mode and want to incorporate current players into any trade. The Steelers were not willing to give up starters the 49ers covet, such as receiver George Pickens, tight end Pat Friarmuth and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. But Pittsburgh is willing to give up its second- and third-round draft picks, which led the 49ers to explore a different strategy: Using one of those picks to acquire a talented wide receiver from a third team in a separate trade.
So far, the 49ers haven't been able to get that done, and the Commanders are reportedly no longer in pursuit of Aiyuk, making it even more likely he won't go anywhere.
Things are starting to come together. I previously wrote about reports that the Steelers and 49ers had a deal in principle for Brandon Aiyuk. Perhaps the 49ers were just waiting to pull the trigger, only to find a second trade partner. The report said one team would send the receiver to the 49ers in a three-team deal, but another deal could be made.
There's no clear timeline for a resolution unless the 49ers give Brandon Aiyuk the contract he wants or Aiyuk caves. The problem with any trade scenario is multiple dominoes have to fall into place. Aiyuk squashed multiple trade possibilities to the Browns and Patriots because he didn't want to play there, but the 49ers are ready to pull the trigger, and those teams offered Aiyuk more money than the Steelers did.
Meanwhile, the 49ers have re-opened talks with Aiyuk about a potential contract extension, but they haven't followed through on that one yet. There's supposed to be one final detail on the final year of his contract, but that doesn't mean San Francisco will cave in. And it doesn't mean Aiyuk will simply say, “Okay, I've had enough.”
Perhaps the only reason the Pittsburgh Steelers can't acquire Brandon Aiyuk is because the 49ers are struggling to find a new receiver. The Steelers only have one receiver worth trading for and they clearly have no intention of letting go of George Pickens. One report even suggested that even if they acquired Aiyuk, the Steelers would still view Pickens as their top receiver.
As the clock ticks, the pendulum appears to be swinging in the direction of Aiyuk remaining with the 49ers rather than going to the Steelers, but as time goes on, the pendulum could always swing the other way. This could drag on through the regular season, the trade deadline or it could end today.
