The San Francisco 49ers must hope the Brandon Aiyuk drama leads to them keeping their top receiver.
Otherwise, a deal would reportedly have already been struck.
The Aiyuk drama has been playing out for quite some time now, and a report on Tuesday indicates that there are two possible outcomes: Aiyuk is traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers or he returns to the 49ers. But again, as we’ve seen with this story, things can change.
The 49ers and Steelers have agreed to terms of a trade and the Steelers are “in a good position with Aiyuk’s contract,” according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport. The report said that the deal will be done once the 49ers agree to it. The other part of the report was that the 49ers offered Aiyuk a long-term deal, which he clearly did not accept.
Based on the wording of that report, Aiyuk would already be a Steeler if the 49ers were willing to let him go.
49ers have an offer for Brandon Aiyuk
This truth has remained the same throughout the process with Aiyuk, which began a few days after the Super Bowl when his girlfriend suggested that Aiyuk might have played his last game for the 49ers: San Francisco is closer to a Super Bowl title with Aiyuk than without him.
Teams in other situations might be more willing to trade a player who is unhappy with his contract and wants out. But the 49ers are one of the few teams that can legitimately consider themselves Super Bowl favorites at the start of the season. Trading their best receiver from a year ago is a step backward.
When Aiyuk reportedly showed no interest in joining the New England Patriots despite a contract offer of $30 million per year or more, the 49ers had to take notice. If it was just about the money, Aiyuk wouldn’t have turned down the opportunity to join New England. When it comes down to it, no one offers a better situation than the 49ers. And they’ve offered him a new contract.
Maybe there was a way to salvage the relationship between the 49ers and Aiyuk, and maybe the 49ers were in no rush.
Where will Aiyuk play?
If the 49ers neither trade Aiyuk nor agree to a long-term contract extension, Aiyuk won’t have much leverage unless he’s willing to forgo his $14.1 million salary for this season. While he’s underpaid compared to every other receiver at his level, he’ll likely have to play for San Francisco at some point this season if the 49ers draw a hard line.
The Steelers are hoping the 49ers will budge. Pittsburgh is short on receivers. Adding Aiyuk, who had 1,342 yards last season, would solve that problem. He’s only 26, so he’s also a long-term option.
It’s reportedly all up to the 49ers at this point, and their chances of winning a Super Bowl this season will change depending on the outcome.
