Brandon Aiyuk’s agent is taking to Twitter again. After dismissing a report days ago that his client had asked for a trade, Ryan Williams responded to another tweet-port Thursday that indicated the Steelers were making an aggressive push to land Aiyuk.
Williams replied to the “report” on Twitter.
“Another ‘report’ that couldn’t be more incorrect. Fictional ‘journalism’ should really stop.”
Frankly, it’s not clear where the initial thought of the Steelers being aggressive in a deal for Aiyuk came from. It’s likely Internet rumor and fodder more than anything else.
While there has been reporting from local Steelers media indicating Pittsburgh has shown interest in Aiyuk and Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported yesterday the team placed a call to the 49ers (and was quickly brushed aside), there’s little detail over how aggressive the Steelers have been. In fact, Florio noted the Steelers haven’t been the most aggressive team in pursuing Aiyuk, though he didn’t mention which team has.
Though Brandon Aiyuk has made waves through social media, unfollowing the 49ers on Instagram and tweeting at Mike Tomlin earlier this offseason, the organization hasn’t shown any public desire to trade him. Of course, that could change in an instant and the deadline of the NFL draft may sway the 49ers’ thoughts, especially if they receive a strong enough offer. Still, any team that trades for Aiyuk will need to have a contract worked out for him to sign and that won’t be easy. Nor will it be cheap.
For now, the 49ers and Aiyuk’s agent aren’t suggesting that Aiyuk will be dealt anytime soon. But if he does, the most logical time a deal would occur is next Thursday during Day 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft. If not, then Pittsburgh will likely look towards the second day of the draft for a starting wideout opposite George Pickens, potentially targeting Florida’s Ricky Pearsall or Michigan’s Roman Wilson.
