The rumors surrounding WR Brandon Aiyuk’s status with his current team, the San Francisco 49ers, have reignited after some social media rumors circulated the internet this weekend that he had requested a trade. His agent almost immediately shut those rumors down, but that hasn’t stopped Vegas from releasing some new odds for which teams are the favorite to be his next team. Chris Adamski on X posted odds via SportsBettingAG, and the Steelers have 2/1 odds to be his next team, topping the list.
They are favored by a good margin, with the Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots, Arizona Cardinals, and Los Angeles Chargers rounding out the top of the list. The trade rumors originated from comments made by Aiyuk’s best friend following the Super Bowl loss in which he was only targeted six times, with three receptions for 49 yards.
“This is the exact reason why we leaving San Francisco,” his best friend posted on Instagram shortly after the Super Bowl loss.
Aiyuk had his fifth-year option picked up last offseason for a fully-guaranteed $14.1 million for the 2025 season. He wants a long-term deal to secure his financial future, especially after a career season with the 49ers. In 2023, he caught 75 receptions for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns. He was a large part of their offense and started the season out hot with eight receptions for 129 yards and two touchdowns against the Steelers.
The WR trade market hasn’t fetched the kind of compensation it did in 2022, with A.J. Brown and Tyreek Hill getting large returns for their teams, but Aiyuk would be the top receiver traded this year if it happens. The Steelers would likely need to give up significant draft capital and then turn around and extend him with a large, long-term deal with high guarantees. It would be a large departure from the type of business the Steelers typically do with external acquisitions.
As it stands now, the Steelers could not trade for Aiyuk without clearing cap space. Per Dave Bryan’s latest salary cap update on the site, the Steelers have a little over $12 million in cap space. If a trade is the route they want to take, we would have some forewarning with a contract restructure for a current player or some other form of freeing up cap space.
During the NFL Owner’s meeting in Orlando this past month, 49ers GM John Lynch told the media that nothing is happening with Aiyuk trade rumors as they work towards a long-term deal with him.
Finally, NFL insider Jason La Canfora recently said that the Steelers are trying to make something happen in the WR trade market prior to the draft and noted that it could be in play all the way up until their first-round pick is made on Apr. 25.
