If the San Francisco 49ers decide to trade WR Brandon Aiyuk, there shouldn’t be a shortage of suitors. According to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, five teams were willing to pay Aiyuk the long-term deal he was looking for but couldn’t agree to trade compensation with the 49ers.
Florio appeared on the Pat McAfee Show Friday to share what he’s been told.
“There was a time before the draft as they were haggling over what he is worth. His agent was given permission to see if other teams would pay him what he was looking for. At the time it was $28 million per year. It’s probably higher now because the market’s changed. I’m told there were five teams ready to go and give him what he wanted…but they couldn’t work out a deal with the 49ers for a trade.”
Florio’s report conflicts with some other reporting that indicated Aiyuk thought he was close to inking a deal with the 49ers around the draft. It’s also worth noting this seems to be agent-to-team talk, Aiyuk’s camp asking other teams if they would match the asking price. That’s a big difference between tangible trade offers from team-to-49ers. San Francisco was reportedly seeking a first-round pick in return.
As Florio notes, Aiyuk’s price tag has increased after several wide receivers got paid this offseason, including the Detroit Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown, the Philadelphia Eagles’ A.J. Brown, and the Minnesota Vikings’ Justin Jefferson topping the market. Recent reports indicate that Aiyuk is searching for the $30 million average yearly value St. Brown received.
It’s not known if Pittsburgh was one of the five teams willing to meet Aiyuk’s price tag. We know they cleared cap space the day before the draft, signaling a potential trade, but obviously no deal came together. Paying Aiyuk would be a historical move from Pittsburgh and an even bigger break from precedent than the deal for Minkah Fitzpatrick, who was still on a comparatively cheap rookie deal.
The structure of such a contract would also be tricky for a Steelers team hesitant to offer guarantees past first year base salary and signing bonus. Their exception has been quarterbacks and top-of-market deals, T.J. Watt and Fitzpatrick examples of the latter. Aiyuk’s contract, large as it’d be, wouldn’t be No. 1 at his position, currently occupied by Jefferson’s $35 million yearly value.
The next line in the sand comes Tuesday when the 49ers report to training camp. Will Aiyuk report? If not, he’ll be subject to heavy daily fines. But he’s utilized every bit of leverage to put the pressure on San Francisco and this would be another way to posture. If he does attend, don’t expect him to put on a pair of cleats unless he has a contract in hand.
