We are on day nine since the Brandon Aiyuk saga reached a boiling point with the San Francisco 49ers. He requested a trade a few weeks ago, and then suddenly a flurry of reports started trickling through last Monday that indicated trade negotiations were taking place.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been at the heart of those reports, and it seems that it’s down to just the 49ers or the Steelers at this point. The Steelers have had an offer in place, but the 49ers were reportedly dissatisfied with the trade compensation.
Mike Garafolo gave us the latest update on NFL Network’s The Insiders on Tuesday.
“What I’ve been told is that Brandon Aiyuk would prefer to stay with the 49ers and has always preferred to stay with the 49ers, all things being equal,” Garafolo said. “Now, they haven’t been equal, but they did make that offer. In fact, both sides sent proposals within the last, I don’t know, couple days, week or so. And the 49ers number has gotten better than what it was previously.
“…From my understanding, they have agreed on a lot of the main points of the deal. Their offers are in line, but it sounds like there’s just one more thing that needs to be ironed out. And if that thing gets ironed out, Brandon Aiyuk signs the deal, he stays with the 49ers, he drops the trade request, and finally we can put this situation behind him.”
Earlier today, it was reported that the Steelers and the 49ers have the structure of a deal worked out. So this comes down to the 49ers pulling the trigger and deciding not to give Aiyuk what he wants.
What could that last detail be? It could be any number of things. The guarantee structure, including the amount guaranteed past the first year could be a big part of it. The 49ers had previously come in at a reported $26 million per season. Garafolo says they have upped the number, but are they in line with what Aiyuk wants, which was reportedly in the ball park of $30 million per season?
They ultimately have to weigh the replacement value for Brandon Aiyuk as well. If they aren’t getting players in return they don’t help their team in 2024, which is highly important considering they have been knocking on the door of the Super Bowl for years now.
Garafolo said yesterday on The Insiders that the Steelers and Aiyuk had a deal in place that would be signed in “a matter of seconds” if the 49ers pulled the trigger on the trade. During his segment today, he mentioned that both teams submitted proposals within the last day or week. It is unclear if that means the Steelers have upped their offer.
Either way, this deal feels like it could be done at any second, minute, hour, or day now. Hopefully sooner rather than later with just 25 days until the start of the regular season.
