All offseason, there have been rumors surrounding the status of San Francisco 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk. He is scheduled to play on the fifth-year option as a former first-round pick, but after making the second-team All-Pro list and being one of the top receivers in the league in 2023, he understandably wants higher pay and more long-term security to cash in on his excellent season.
Up until this point, there have been reasons to believe a trade could take place, but Aiyuk and the 49ers both maintained the posture of wanting to work out a long-term deal. There had been no official trade request. That seems to have changed.
According to Mike Garafolo on X, Aiyuk has officially requested a trade after failing to reach a middle ground with the 49ers in their negotiations. He also noted that the 49ers have been unwilling to negotiate or budge on their offer since mid-May. This despite all of Aiyuk’s various negotiation tactics he has employed using social media and other avenues.
Throughout the offseason, there have been rumors of the 49ers’ biggest and best offer, and Aiyuk’s asking price. The best offer was reportedly $26 million average annual value while Aiyuk was reportedly looking for something in the $30 million range. During an appearance on The Pivot podcast, Brandon Aiyuk expressed that he was upset that business details leaked throughout the process, suggesting those reports may indeed be accurate.
He also expressed during that podcast that the Washington Commanders and Pittsburgh Steelers were the two teams he could see himself playing for in the 2024 season if the 49ers didn’t work out. This trade request is a strong indication that things may not work out.
It could also be his final attempt at a negotiation tactic as he exhausted all other avenues, but this is the first time that a trade seems legitimately possible. Given that he has named the Steelers as a landing spot, and that the Steelers have a need at wide receiver opposite George Pickens, they could very well be in play.
It would be a franchise-altering decision as they would likely have to give up a not-insignificant amount of draft capital to acquire Aiyuk and then turn around and give him the roughly $30 million per season contract that he appears to be seeking. Depending on how the contract is structured, that would make him one of, if not the highest-paid players on the Steelers with a sizable cap hit to work around. In that hypothetical scenario, the Steelers might have a hard time extending Pickens next offseason.
The Steelers have some uncertainty at the quarterback position beyond the 2024 season, so it would be quite the gamble to attach themselves to such a large wide receiver contract for the foreseeable future. It would definitely make them a much more competitive team in 2024, however.
Aiyuk has also been strongly linked to the Commanders, as he is friends with rookie QB Jayden Daniels from their time spent together at Arizona State in 2019. This is sure to stir the pot and heat up trade rumors as we sit here just a week ahead of the start of training camp. Stay tuned!
In a followup post by Adam Schefter on X, he reports that teams have reached out about Aiyuk and have been told that the 49ers do not intend to trade him. Deebo Samuel requested a trade as part of his negotiations in 2022 and ended up getting an extension, for what it’s worth.
Josina Anderson is also reporting that the New England Patriots are among the teams that have reached out, reportedly receiving a similar message to what Schefter described.
Per Nack Wagoner, one of ESPN’s 49ers beat reporters, the 49ers have been down this path before. Here are the dates for some of their major contract extensions in recent years. The 49ers are definitely still in play, and this thing could drag out to the start of the season. Buckle up!
