If the San Francisco 49ers do wind up trading WR Brandon Aiyuk, they’re putting on a good poker face in the meantime. Appearing on 93.7 The Fan Wednesday, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio said the Steelers called the 49ers about Aiyuk and were promptly rebuffed by the team.
“My understanding is that the Steelers placed a phone call a few weeks ago and were told by the 49ers we’re not trading the guy,” Florio said, per a tweet from Andrew Fillipponi.
Here’s more of what Florio had to say about Aiyuk’s situation from the show.
“The notion that Aiyuk had requested a trade is not accurate,” Florio said. “The notion that the Steelers had been the most aggressive is not accurate. My understanding is there was maybe a phone call weeks ago and the response was, ‘we’re not trading the guy.’ And that was that.
“Now, I fully expect interested teams to re-engage as the draft approaches, especially with that report out there. I also believe there’s a chance that there’s been some conversation along the lines of, not that he’s asked for a trade, but looking for teams that might be interested in doing something.”
Florio’s referring to a Twitter report from days ago that said Aiyuk asked to be traded, leading to his agent responding by shooting down the notion.
That aligns with the 49ers’ public posture, with GM John Lynch and HC Kyle Shanahan expressing confidence in keeping Aiyuk for 2024 and beyond. However, this reporting also meshes with the PPG’s Gerry Dulac, who mentioned earlier today that the Steelers have explored the possibility of trading for Aiyuk.
If the 49ers were to budge and move him, it would ideally take place for them before next week’s draft. While draft day trades are rare, they’ve happened. The Tennessee Titans traded WR A.J. Brown on draft day a few years ago, sending him to the Philadelphia Eagles. While the Eagles paid a steep price, the move paid off for them.
Adding Brandon Aiyuk would give the Steelers a stud receiver opposite WR George Pickens. He’s only 26 and coming off a career year with the 49ers, including a two-touchdown game in the season opener versus Pittsburgh. But the cost to acquire him won’t be cheap, perhaps a second-round pick and something else, and signing him to a long-term deal is another barrier to making any trade official. But for that to happen, the 49ers will have to show a desire to move on, and right now, it sounds like they’d have to be blown away by an offer to change their minds.
