As the Brandon Aiyuk saga continues to dominate headlines across the NFL landscape, and a trade appears increasingly imminent, the question of what a potential trade package to the San Francisco 49ers to acquire the standout receiver would be.
Though NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco believes it would require two Day-2 picks in the 2025 NFL Draft for the Pittsburgh Steelers, former NFL GM Mike Tannenbaum laid out his trade package he’d offer to San Francisco to acquire Aiyuk.
During an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up! Wednesday morning, Tannenbaum said he would offer a first-round pick in 2025 and rookie receiver Roman Wilson to the 49ers, and then pay Aiyuk $35 million a year following the trade.
“I’m gonna give a first-round pick, and I would even consider Roman Wilson, our third-round wide receiver from Michigan,” Tannenbaum said of what he’d offer to the 49ers for Aiyuk, according to video via ESPN on YouTube. “And it’s the inverse of what we just said, which is, ‘Hey, let’s go win a championship here.’ We have a great defense. We’ve got a great head coach. We’ve dramatically improved the quarterback position. We have depth with now adding Justin Fields to Russell Wilson. And now, when you think about [George] Pickens, [Pat] Freiermuth, and two really good backs, as K-Mart [Kimberley A. Martin] said earlier in the meeting, I actually think they should go win the AFC North.
“He is, to me, outcome determinative. And I’m saying to Brandon Aiyuk, ‘screw San Francisco. Come write your own legacy in Pittsburgh and get us over the top.'”
Out of all the teams that have been reported to be in on Aiyuk, including the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots, the Steelers make the most sense not only financially but from a roster-building perspective as well.
The Steelers have no true answer behind George Pickens at the receiver position, and haven’t since trading away Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers in the trade that landed CB Donte Jackson for the Steelers. But that answer could be Aiyuk, who is a great route runner and a physical run blocker who would fit very well into new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s scheme.
But Tannenbaum’s trade-off of a first-round pick and rookie receiver Roman Wilson, who is currently expected to miss the next few weeks due to an ankle injury, seems quite rich, especially with the Steelers needing to turn around and sign Aiyuk to a long-term extension following the trade.
While it has been reported that the 49ers have been looking for a receiver back in the trade, the Steelers don’t exactly have one to offer up. The Steelers wouldn’t want to move off of Wilson already after just drafting him in April, and the 49ers might not want him, considering they had the chance to draft him and instead took Florida’s Ricky Pearsall in the first round, and then Arizona’s Jacob Cowing in the fifth round.
The first-round pick makes some sense, but there is the potential that, with the Aiyuk situation getting a bit out of control and the 49ers not exactly playing this well, it wouldn’t require a first-round pick, as Maiocco reported Wednesday morning.
So, Tannenbaum’s offer seems like a gross overpay for Aiyuk. Maybe that’s why he’s a former NFL GM.
But after a trade, you have to pay Aiyuk. Tannenbaum has no qualms about that.
“You’re gonna pay him $35 million a year…a hundred percent, which should be a bargain compared to what CeeDee Lamb and what Ja’Marr Chase are gonna get, Greeny,” Tannenbaum added. “But if I’m Omar Khan, I’m saying to Mike Tomlin and the Rooney family, ‘guys, we have George Pickens, but we need a guy that’s fast and a difference maker.’ Last year, on opening day, as Adam Schefter pointed out, he had eight catches for 129 yards and two touchdowns. We could go beat the Bengals, we could go beat the Ravens with Brandon Aiyuk.
“So we’re gonna go get a receiver next year, let’s go get him a year early. I don’t like giving up picks and money, but for a 26-year-old outside difference maker, it’s worth it.”
Logically, it is worth going and getting a receiver like Aiyuk, especially for the Steelers in the situation they are in offensively. They need that proven piece opposite Pickens, and they need that dependable receiver in a year in which the Steelers have Super Bowl aspirations.
But the price via trade and extension that you pay for Aiyuk has to be reasonable. Tannenbaum seems like an overpay. Realistically, it wouldn’t be surprising to see multiple non-first-round picks to San Francisco and then an Aiyuk extension at $30 million a year if that’s ultimately the move that ends up happening.
