A little over two hours ago, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter said on The Pat McAfee Show that he did not expect the Pittsburgh Steelers to be a landing spot for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk via trade.
Things have changed quickly though as Schefter put out a tweet moments ago stating that the 49ers and Steelers have “re-engaged in trade talks” regarding the standout wide receiver.
“Steelers and 49ers re-engaged in conversations mid-day today regarding Brandon Aiyuk, per league sources,” Schefter wrote on Twitter. “As of Monday night, the 49ers-Steelers talks stalled. But there have been further conversations today in an ever-fluid situation that still involves other teams as well.”
Prior to Schefter’s tweet updating the situation, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported that the Steelers were still in on trade talks regarding Aiyuk, while colleague Tom Pelissero reported on The Rich Eisen Show that the 49ers were in active conversations with more than two teams regarding the playmaking wide receiver.
As Schefter pointed out in his tweet, the belief was that talks between the Steelers and 49ers had stalled. Now, those talks appear to be back on, though it’s fair to question if they ever stalled in the first place and the initial reports were part of a planned leak from the 49ers to try and put some pressure on Steelers GM Omar Khan.
Based on previous reporting, the Steelers have been engaged with the 49ers on Aiyuk, dating back to the 2024 NFL Draft. However, they have been unable to land him due to the trade ask from the 49ers. It is reportedly steep and starts with at least a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
As things continue to heat up and a resolution one way or another seemingly becomes closer and closer, the Steelers are firmly in the discussion for Aiyuk, potentially bringing him to a place where he not only saw himself this offseason but also plugging a major hole on the Steelers’ roster.
However, NBC Sports Bay Area reporter Matt Maiocco reports that the Steelers were “not willing to meet 49ers’ trade demand yesterday” despite Pittsburgh being a preferred destination for Aiyuk.
Things could have changed drastically in the last day or so. We’ll see what twists and turns this saga takes next.
