Another sunrise, another day of speculation about the future of San Francisco 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk. Will he sign a long-term extension with the 49ers? Or will the Pittsburgh Steelers give San Francisco a good enough deal for a trade? What’s certain is that no one person is completely sure of how this situation will play out.
And it’s that uncertainty that has so many frustrated. Fans of both teams (and across the NFL) are to the point that they just want a resolution. The Steelers seem to be confident and patient, but they might be alone in that regard. Their counterparts in San Francisco might be less calm about the whole situation.
“They’re not exactly sure what he wants to do,” The Athletic’s 49ers insider Matt Barrows said on The Morning Roast Tuesday on 95.7 The Game. “I don’t know where the Steelers came from. It’s a little odd that a guy who’s under contract, a free agent you understand he’s going to have a list of teams that he wants to go to. But a guy who’s still under contract, it’s strange that he would pick two other teams…I think that surprised the 49ers that he had these other teams maybe above the 49ers. There’s a little bit frustration, disbelief in what’s happening.”
It doesn’t sound like Barrows is insinuating that tampering has occurred. He’s just pointing out the oddity that Aiyuk had two teams firmly in his mind. So it’s easy to understand why members of the San Francisco front office would be frustrated about how this whole Aiyuk saga has played out.
And it all stems from the central figure in the saga: Aiyuk. The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported that the 49ers are struggling to negotiate with Aiyuk because it seems that he isn’t sure what he wants from moment to moment. He’s at points seemed willing to stay in San Francisco which is what the 49ers want. At other times, he’s been dead-set on going to Pittsburgh.
But on Tuesday afternoon, there may be a bit of a breakthrough. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the 49ers and Steelers have a potential trade worked out. The 49ers still have a contract offer on the table for Aiyuk, though. The goal for the 49ers all along has been to keep Aiyuk, and they’re hoping they still can.
Perhaps there will be a light at the end of the tunnel very shortly. That would be a relief to everyone involved.
