For awhile during training camp, it felt like Brandon Aiyuk was certainly going to be a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Since then, this saga has taken several twists and turns. Now, it’s unclear whether the San Francisco 49ers will trade Aiyuk or keep him. However, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini helps provide a time frame for when this cycle could finally end.
On her podcast Scoop City, Russini spoke about whether she believed the situation with Aiyuk and Trent Williams would get resolved sooner or later.
“I’m going to go sooner for both,” Russini said Friday. “I think these are going to get done before Week 1.”
Russini has been about as plugged in as anyone concerning Aiyuk, so if she believes this is finally heading toward a conclusion, then it might be true. Of course, nothing has been easy to predict since this began to heat up a few weeks ago. It makes sense that Aiyuk would either get a new deal from the 49ers or get traded before the season starts, but nothing is certain.
Everything right now is essentially up to the 49ers and Aiyuk. The Steelers are simply forced to wait and watch. Aiyuk reportedly isn’t satisfied with the current offer from the 49ers, and the 49ers don’t seem to want to cave to his demands. It’s a total standoff.
However, something needs to happen soon if anyone wants Aiyuk to be ready for the season. He won’t just magically be ready to go once he starts practicing again. If he gets traded, there are a million different things he’s going to need to do. Even if he stays with the 49ers, he’ll still need to work his way back to being in shape for actual games.
It sounds like all of this should be over in a few weeks though. It’s not ideal for anyone, but it is what it is at this point. If the 49ers wanted a better package, they should’ve traded Aiyuk before the draft. Now, they’ll either be forced to pay him more than they want or accept what the Steelers are offering, unless Aiyuk plays on his current deal. It’s a mess, but hopefully it should be cleaned up soon.
