With Brandon Aiyuk formally requesting a trade yesterday, rumors of him potentially being an option for the Pittsburgh Steelers came back into play. Former NFL executive Andrew Brandt doesn’t see the 49ers trading Aiyuk, but he also doesn’t think the team will sign him to an extension, letting him hit the free agency market next offseason. Brandt explained why he thinks Aiyuk will play out his contract in San Francisco on his The Business Of Sports podcast.
“If he was gonna be traded, he would’ve been traded,” Brandt said. He also doesn’t think Aiyuk will hold out due to the CBA allowing teams to fine players for holding out. With Aiyuk still on San Francisco’s roster, he believes the team made its intention clear.
“The 49ers have made their intentions clear without saying anything,” Brandt said. “Basically, if they were gonna trade him or they were gonna re-up his contract, they would’ve done it by now.”
Brandt continued and that he doesn’t think Aiyuk will get an extension with the 49ers and that they prepared for it by drafting wide receivers.
“I don’t think they’re gonna do the contract, and I don’t think they’re gonna trade him. They took a first-round receiver and I think they took a lower-round receiver, which to me, telegraphs what they’re saying here,” he said. “Aiyuk’s in the last year of his contract, they want him there, they need him. But next year, they might not need him.”
The 49ers drafted Ricky Pearsall in the first round before taking Jacob Cowing in the fourth round, so the team has options long-term at the receiver position. One option that’s been floated is San Francisco signing Aiyuk to an extension and trading Deebo Samuel next offseason, but Brandt thinks Aiyuk could wind up being the odd man out.
The fact he doesn’t have an extension doesn’t really mean much given San Francisco has had drawn-out contract negotiations with Samuel and Nick Bosa, whose extension took up until days before Week 1 last season to complete. But it is notable that nothing’s been done yet, and with Aiyuk formally requesting a trade, we’ll see if the team holds firm in not extending him or works to get something done to avoid him becoming a distraction.
As with Samuel, Aiyuk’s trade request might end up coming to nothing. It doesn’t benefit him much to hold out and get fined, and missing games to hold out in a contract year is only going to hurt his market value. Unless someone gives them an offer they can’t refuse that likely includes at least one first-round pick, it doesn’t benefit the win-now 49ers to trade Aiyuk.
However, the team could be more content to moving on and addressing needs elsewhere rather than paying Aiyuk in the exploding receiving market, especially if Pearsall and possibly Cowing are able to step into a bigger role. If Aiyuk does start the season with the 49ers, it very well could be his last one in San Francisco.
