As the Brandon Aiyuk saga drags on in San Francisco, the Pittsburgh Steelers appear to be potentially positioning themselves to make a splash move, which could come in the form of a trade for Aiyuk.
Though the moves to waive both wide receiver Denzel Mims and safety Trenton Thompson on back-to-back days isn’t something to read all that much into, it is curious that the Steelers are opening up these roster spots ahead of training camp while still having some holes to plug.
Aiyuk is the popular name, and based on contract talks stalling with the 49ers, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, and Aiyuk believing the team doesn’t want him back, that is leading to quite a bit of speculation about the Steelers and Aiyuk once again.
For the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo, who appeared on the 93.7 The Fan Morning Show Wednesday, the Steelers are interested in Aiyuk at their price. And Fittipaldo believes that Steelers GM Omar Khan is going to wait until the 49ers get really uncomfortable in the Aiyuk situation before potentially trying to strike.
“I think for the Steelers, I think they’re interested, but I think they’re interested at their price and I think what Omar Khan is gonna do is he’s gonna wait until it gets really uncomfortable for John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan,” Fittipaldo said of the Steelers and Aiyuk, according to video via 93.7 The Fan on YouTube. “And if you’ve noticed, Aiyuk is kind of starting to make it uncomfortable for the 49ers. So, I think…deadlines always spur these deals, right? As the season gets closer, I think the 49ers might have a little bit more urgency in moving him.
“But yeah, listen guys: it’s been out there since March. We’ve known this has been a thing since March, and I think if it’s gonna happen, probably not gonna happen in June. I think it’ll happen probably closer to training camp or the start of the season.”
Earlier this week, Aiyuk re-ignited speculation with a TikTok video while Facetiming Washington rookie quarterback and former Arizona State teammate Jayden Daniels. He said that he might be out of San Francisco because the 49ers don’t want him back, meaning they aren’t giving Aiyuk what he’s seeking in a contract extension.
Brandon Aiyuk’s post on TikTok…👀
*On FaceTime with Jayden Daniels*
Daniels: “What happened bro”
Aiyuk: “They said they don’t want me back…I swear” pic.twitter.com/d2ldVFHWa9
— OffSzn (@jpet82) June 17, 2024
ESPN’s Adam Schefter disputed Aiyuk’s comments, stating that the 49ers want Aiyuk long-term, but that they aren’t going to give Aiyuk his asking price, preferring to pay him what they’re comfortable with. That’s typical back and forth stuff in contract negotiations.
Aiyuk is taking it public though, which has become a popular tactic for players in recent years. That makes it uncomfortable for teams, putting a lot of pressure on the decision makers to either get a deal done or move the player to recoup some value.
What is working against Aiyuk and the 49ers is that the financial market for receivers has exploded in recent months. According to a report from 49ers insider Michael Silver, San Francisco is offering Aiyuk $26 million per year. That puts him well under the recent pay scale of receivers who landed new contracts, such as Detroit’s Amon-Ra St. Brown, Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson, Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown, Miami’s Jaylen Waddle, and more.
That offer from the 49ers isn’t good enough in Aiyuk’s eyes, and it could lead to San Francisco moving on from him as the season draws closer. The 49ers drafted a pair of receivers in Ricky Pearsall Jr. and Jacob Cowing, still have Deebo Samuel under contract long-term, and extended Jauan Jennings this offseason, so they are covered there. That could make moving Aiyuk more palatable, though it’s clearly not what the 49ers want to do.
Aiyuk seems pessimistic about a long-term deal getting done in San Francisco though, so that could lead to a move. Reportedly, the Steelers and 49ers had a deal in place before it fell apart during the draft, which came just a few days after the Steelers restructured Alex Highsmith’s contract to free up more cap space, potentially signaling a move for a receiver.
Pittsburgh still has a massive question mark at receiver behind George Pickens, so a move for a veteran like Aiyuk seems logical at least at face value. Making him the team’s highest-paid player, moving significant draft capital and potentially overshadowing Pickens in the process seems unlikely though.
It’ll be interesting to see what happens between now and the start of the season at the position for not only the Steelers, but the 49ers and Aiyuk. Something has to give.
