Based on all of the reporting, Plan A for the San Francisco 49ers is to hammer out a long-term deal with WR Brandon Aiyuk. If that fails, Plan B is trading him to the Pittsburgh Steelers. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, that backup plan could easily fall into place.
Providing the latest update on a situation that’s gone quiet after last week’s fury of rumors and reports, Garafolo said a trade will quickly materialize if the 49ers give up on exploring a long-term deal with Aiyuk.
“I believe based on every conversation I’ve had, if the 49ers say, ‘Hey, Omar Khan, Pittsburgh Steelers. Deal done, we’re sending him to you.’ Boom. The deal’s done in a matter of seconds. And then the contract’s done in a matter of minutes as well,” Garafolo said on NFL Insiders Monday evening.
Essentially, it sounds like the nuts and bolts of a deal between San Francisco and Pittsburgh are agreed to, though those terms are unclear. One report indicated that the 49ers want second- and third-round picks from the Steelers while it’s also well-reported that San Francisco is seeking a wide receiver to cushion the blow that’d be left by trading Aiyuk. Pittsburgh can do little to help there, though the 49ers could use any compensation they receive as assets in a deal with another team for a wideout.
Garafolo’s wording indicates that the Steelers and Aiyuk have essentially reached a contractual agreement. The 49ers have long given Aiyuk permission to seek deals from other teams — he reportedly received at least one offer from the New England Patriots that would’ve paid him up to $32 million per year. But Aiyuk turned down the offer and declined to be traded. Reportedly, the Steelers’ offer sits at $28 million per season, putting Aiyuk right outside of the five highest-paid receivers in football.
Garafolo’s comments track with analysis he offered Rich Eisen last week, believing a deal would quickly come together if the 49ers made the decision to trade Aiyuk to the Steelers. In Monday’s episode, fellow NFL insider Tom Pelissero noted that he doesn’t see “any obstacles” that would prevent a deal from happening if a trade to Pittsburgh was going to happen.
Now, the ball is in the 49ers’ court. They’re putting their head down to bridge the contractual gap between them and Aiyuk. Reports indicate that San Francisco offered $26 million per season before the wide receiver market heated up as Justin Jefferson, A.J. Brown, and several other wideouts received new deals.
“They made an offer and it’s pretty clear by the fact that nothing is done that that offer wasn’t good enough for Brandon Aiyuk’s liking,” Garafolo said, calling the 49ers and Aiyuk “in limbo” contractually.
While the 49ers clearly have a line that they haven’t been willing to cross, they’ll have to decide if they want to pay Aiyuk a little more than they intended — or potentially trade him for a little less than they wanted. For a franchise with Super Bowl aspirations, inking Aiyuk to a deal rather than trading him seems like the better play. But if the 49ers opt against that route, Aiyuk will quickly be shipped to the Steelers, who will have patiently waited San Francisco and the rest of the league out in the process.
