When it comes to this point of the NFL offseason, not much news is happening. Most players and coaches are taking this time to go on vacation or spend time with their families. Therefore, it isn’t often that a big story is still floating around. Presently, that isn’t the case, as San Francisco 49ers star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is still making headlines about whether he’ll be traded or not. The Pittsburgh Steelers have been involved in those rumors since they began popping up, so it’s a situation worth monitoring. One of the NFL’s biggest insiders has just provided an update that may rain on the Steelers’ parade though.
Adam Schefter of ESPN is one of the biggest insiders for all things concerning the NFL, so when he speaks on something, there’s usually credence to it. In a recent appearance on the Rothman and Ice radio show, Schefter was asked about Aiyuk’s recent comments about the 49ers not wanting him.
“I can tell you that Brandon Aiyuk is not accurate in that statement. The 49ers absolutely want him back,” Schefter said. “The problem is at what price do they want him back. The wide receiver market has exploded here recently, it’s gone up dramatically. The offers and deals have been higher, I believe, than what the 49ers have offered Brandon Aiyuk. So Brandon Aiyuk is taking what the 49ers have offered and he’s saying, ‘The fact that they don’t want to pay me like Justin Jefferson, they don’t want me here.’ No, that’s not true. They do want him there, but they want him there at a certain number that they believe is fair.”
Reports have surfaced throughout this process that corroborate what Schefter is saying. The crux of the Aiyuk situation seems to be that he wants to be paid like Jefferson or one of the other top receivers but the 49ers don’t believe he’s worth that. They want to pay him something similar to that second tier of receiver, similar probably to what the Detroit Lions just gave Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Schefter’s reporting doesn’t hurt the Steelers’ chances of trading for Aiyuk, but it certainly doesn’t help matters either. It confirms that if Aiyuk is traded, whatever team acquires him is going to have to shell out a ton of money. That probably looks like something around $30 million a year. For the Steelers, who don’t have a starting quarterback under contract for next year, that might be a deal-breaker.
Pairing Aiyuk with George Pickens would solidify receiver for the Steelers for a few years, and it would give their offense the hefty boost it needs. But it would also leave them up against the salary cap. Also, the draft capital they’d have to give up in a trade would hurt their ability to improve their team next year even more. Perhaps Omar Khan and company will pull the trigger on a trade for a receiver, but Aiyuk might not be the most logical candidate.
