If the Pittsburgh Steelers want Brandon Aiyuk and Brandon Aiyuk wants the Steelers, what’s preventing a deal from getting done? The trade compensation required to get him. Despite all the fluid reporting, one constant suggests the Steelers and 49ers aren’t on equal footing in what Pittsburgh would have to give up for Aiyuk. On the cusp of a Super Bowl the last two seasons, San Francisco wants a player in return to cushion the blow of giving up Aiyuk. But per the PPG’s Gerry Dulac, the Steelers only want to send picks, not people.
Analyzing the situation Wednesday, KNBR radio host and 49ers analyst John Lund thinks it’ll be tough for a deal to get done unless that bridge can be crossed.
“For a team in a Super Bowl window, that doesn’t work for the 49ers,” Lund said of the belief the Steelers don’t want to offer a player. “It’s gonna be really tough to come together on a place Aiyuk wants to go and a deal the 49ers are good with. This is a tough thing to do.”
The numerous obstacles are the reason why the trade hasn’t happened and led to a slow drip-drip of speculation and reports. Aiyuk wants to go where he wants and get paid what he thinks he deserves. The 49ers don’t want to give him away. And any team trading for Aiyuk and paying him big-time money wants to limit what else they have to give up. Especially for a Steelers club acquiring Aiyuk to compete in the AFC, not looking to give up current assets that’ll hinder that mission.
In rumored deals between the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots, a wide receiver could’ve been sent back. For Cleveland, Amari Cooper would take the sting out of giving up Aiyuk. For New England, that was Kendrick Bourne, who played for Shanahan’s 49ers from 2017-2020. Pittsburgh doesn’t have that type of asset and it’s the reason it wants a receiver in the first place. Someone like Calvin Austin III could go back but a player with 17 career receptions hardly moves the needle in a deal or dramatically improves San Francisco’s roster (the 49ers drafted a similar player this year in Jacob Cowing).
Figuring out anyone else the Steelers could deal is difficult. OLB Alex Highsmith’s dead money and value as a starting pass rusher makes him a non-starter. OT Dan Moore Jr. could be deemed expendable but of little use to the 49ers even if Trent Williams is holding out. OG James Daniels makes more sense for the 49ers but less so for the Steelers, trading a starting guard a month before the season begins.
While Aiyuk has exerted his leverage throughout this process, the 49ers can do the same. Aiyuk might be able to dictate where he goes but the 49ers dictate if and when he’s traded. And if they truly want a player to help keep them competitive today, the Steelers might have a hard time agreeing.
