Will Brandon Aiyuk be a Pittsburgh Steeler in 2024? That’s the question that’s been running through the minds of many over the past week ever since trade rumors involving the San Francisco 49ers star wide receiver picked up steam again last Monday. It seemed as if Aiyuk was likely to be dealt, and then it looked like he would re-sign with the San Francisco 49ers. At this point, it’s anyone’s guess where things really stand.
According to The Athletic’s NFL insider Dianna Russini, Aiyuk doesn’t seem to know what he wants in 2024. Russini reported that Aiyuk “hasn’t been easy to work with” in negotiations with the 49ers, flip-flopping between whether or not he wants to play in San Francisco or Pittsburgh.
“From what I was told, the player hasn’t really been easy to work with in terms of what he wants, which I don’t think is breaking news there because he seems to be a little bit all over the place. ‘I want to be in San Francisco, I really want to play here, but no I actually want to play for Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh,'” Russini said on her Scoop City podcast with Chase Daniel.
There are a number of factors that go into a possible Aiyuk trade, and last week, the hold-up seemed to be Pittsburgh’s unwillingness to include a player from its roster in a potential trade. San Francisco and Aiyuk reportedly resumed negotiations over the weekend, but the 49ers don’t seem willing to pay Aiyuk what he wants, which leaves his situation in limbo.
Pittsburgh is reportedly offering Aiyuk $28 million a year, and $28 million in Pittsburgh goes further than $28 million in San Francisco given the tax differences between Pennsylvania and California. That’s something I’m sure Aiyuk and his agent Ryan Williams have factored in, which complicates things a little bit for the 49ers. At this point, it seems like the only potential trade destination for Aiyuk is Pittsburgh. He didn’t want to play for the Cleveland Browns or New England Patriots, and it’s tough to find another logical suitor to enter the mix with the season a few weeks away.
It’s really not a surprise to hear that Aiyuk has been difficult. He’s made his contract situation and unhappiness with the 49ers pretty apparent and even listed the Steelers as one of three teams he could see himself playing for in 2024. If Aiyuk really was set on staying with San Francisco, it feels like a deal would’ve been hammered out by now. But neither side has really budged, and with the 49ers once again a Super Bowl contender, they might just pony up the extra money to keep Aiyuk in the fold.
If the two sides remain far apart and Aiyuk is unhappy, a trade to Pittsburgh could get done, and get done fairly quickly. While the hourly updates on his situation that were coming in fast and furious haven’t hit the same way this week, it still feels like a trade is very much a possibility — and something could get done as soon as this week if the 49ers were to trade him. The longer Aiyuk goes without an extension, the more likely a trade becomes, so it’s still a situation worth watching over the coming days and weeks.
