If you’ve grown tired of the Brandon Aiyuk saga, you are not alone. It’s been exhausting since the Pittsburgh Steelers were reportedly not an option to now fully in the conversation and the preferred destination for the standout San Francisco wide receiver.
The Steelers reportedly haven’t offered anything “acceptable” to the 49ers just yet, nor have they reportedly gotten to an agreeable point with Aiyuk regarding the money.
But when it’s all said and done, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio believes that the Steelers will get a deal done with the 49ers and Aiyuk.
“I think the Steelers are gonna be the last man standing, and it might not be top dollar for Aiyuk, and it might not be top trade return for the 49ers,” Florio said Wednesday during an appearance on 93.7 The Fan’s PM Show with Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller, according to video via 93.7 The Fan on YouTube. “But it might just be the only alternative to this bad situation of Aiyuk not practicing with the 49ers.”
The Steelers might ultimately be the last team standing when it’s all said and done in the Aiyuk trade talks, which would be quite the haul for the Steelers, landing one of the top receivers in football after he reportedly wanted to be in Pittsburgh all along.
But Florio’s stance that not only will Aiyuk’s deal be less than what he was expecting with the 49ers getting a smaller package in return than they were hoping for seems like a major reach.
A big reason Aiyuk did not sign with the 49ers during the offseason was due to San Francisco reportedly offering $26 million, and not offering a new deal after that. Reportedly, Aiyuk did not want to play for the Patriots even after they were prepared to offer more than $30 million a year, though that could have been more about the landing spot than the cost.
But it seems like Aiyuk has a number in mind and isn’t going to budge from that. Nor should he.
The same goes for the 49ers, who have reportedly had a steep asking price starting at a first-round pick for Aiyuk. Though trade talks have heated up as the 49ers have seemingly realized that they can’t keep Aiyuk at this point, they haven’t exactly budged on their asking price, either, though one 49ers reporter believes the Steelers could get Aiyuk for some Day 2 picks.
For all of that to suddenly change just because it’s the Steelers and Mike Tomlin, a situation Aiyuk wants to be in, seems a bit far-fetched.
The Steelers and 49ers are talking though, that much is clear. They are the trendy team right now in the saga, and the one that has seemingly been involved all along. There appears to be a good chance they will be the last team standing, but will that result in the Steelesrs acquiring Aiyuk? That remains to be seen.
For now, #AiyukWatch continues.
