The Brandon Aiyuk saga for the Pittsburgh Steelers has been a roller coaster that their fans may not be accustomed to yet, with the team usually not being involved in trade rumors for star players. With Omar Khan and company at the helm, though, anything is possible, and even recently, Aiyuk said the Steelers would be one of his preferred trade destinations. However, nothing concrete has happened to indicate the San Francisco 49ers are ready to move on from him yet. This cycle has been present all offseason, with Aiyuk definitely being traded one week and then definitely staying a Niner the next. However, one major insider may finally put the rumors the bed, allowing the Steelers to move on to perhaps trading for a different receiver.
Adam Schefter of ESPN is maybe the biggest insider in the NFL world. He constantly breaks the biggest news first. Recently, Schefter appeared on the radio show Rothman and Ice and was asked what he thinks will happen with Aiyuk. Schefter answered firmly, stating that he believes Aiyuk isn’t going anywhere.
“I would expect that he’s in a Niners’ uniform,” Schefter said. “The question is, is it gonna be beyond this year? He’s under contract to them, and why would a Super Bowl contending team trade a starting wide receiver for a future draft pick? Not gonna do that. That doesn’t do anything to help you win a Super Bowl this year. I don’t expect that they’re trading him. That’s not what I’m expecting right now. Whether they can get a contract worked out or not, that’s a different issue. They’ve been talking, doesn’t seem like they’re close right now, those things can heat up pretty quickly.”
If one of the most connected men in the entire world of the NFL doesn’t expect Aiyuk to be traded, then it’s probably not going to happen. Schefter has been wrong before, but it doesn’t happen often. Just as well, his logic behind why the 49ers wouldn’t trade Aiyuk is sound. They were just in the Super Bowl, so why would they make a trade that takes them a step back instead of a step forward? Unless Aiyuk gets traded for a different star player, then he’s probably staying put.
However, Schefter also says that the two parties aren’t close on a deal yet, which leaves the door cracked open for a trade. Not by much, though, because the Niners were in a situation like this last year, giving stud pass rusher Nick Bosa a new deal just days before the regular season started. They’re willing to take things down to the wire, and that could even mean Aiyuk simply plays out the last year of his deal this season.
The Steelers will probably have to look elsewhere to improve at receiver unless they want to wait until the trade deadline in the middle of the season to revisit Aiyuk. If the Niners struggle during the first half of the season and don’t appear poised to make a run at the Super Bowl, they may feel more inclined to recoup some value from Aiyuk rather than just let him walk in free agency. Khan may have to play the long game, but he isn’t new to fleecing teams at the deadline. Unless the Niners totally collapse, it looks like it’s time for the Steelers to explore other avenues to improve their roster.
