The Pittsburgh Steelers have been waiting on a one phone call for quite some time now. They want the San Francisco 49ers to say that they accept their trade offer for star receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. The saga has gone on for so long, but the end has been in sight for weeks now. It's only a matter of time before a decision is made on if the 49ers keep their wideout, or if they ship him off to Western Pennsylvania. Steeler Nation received a hint that something has finally been done, but not in a good way.
NBC Sports
Brandon Aiyuk shakes hands with 49ers GM John Lynch.
There have been quite a few reports coming out lately that Aiyuk is happy with how contract negotiations have gone lately. For starters, Mike Garafolo reported that the deal for an extension is almost done, but there's just one last little adjustment left to be made.
"That [last] year is never guaranteed. We've seen a lot of wide receivers and agents put big numbers in that last year to inflate the average per year. Doesn't sound like that's exactly what he wants there. More of a meaningful adjustment to that year, but still not guaranteed and something the 49ers could walk away from. I've called it uncomfortable and contentious at times. I think it's still that, but it's really close to being done."
Along with that report, it has been stated that Aiyuk and the 49ers have agreed to the numbers on the first three years of the contract. All they have to do is hammer out that last year, and he will stay in San Francisco. Many reporters have also said that this last year is the easy part of negotiations, meaning that the whole deal can be done at any time now, although everyone has heard that before.
Kelley L Cox / USA Today
49ers General Manager John Lynch embraces wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk on the field at Levi's Stadium during a San Francisco home game.
While he has still not practiced yet fully with the team, Aiyuk has shown up to practices and regularly ran sprints on the sideline. He is still making sure that he stays in football shape while working out this deal, so he can be ready to continue to be that high-level receiver that forced this major payday in the first place.
Brandon Aiyuk is at practice and doing sprints on a side field 🔥 pic.twitter.com/FYOzB7x1Oy
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) August 16, 2024
There were many complications with the trade offer with the Steelers, as the two sides could not agree on compensation. With very little leverage, the 49ers opted to cave in to his contract demands, as opposed to ship him off for less than what they thought was reasonable. They wanted nothing to do with the Steelers' offer unless it had a first-round pick and/or a wide receiver going back to them.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers General Manager Omar Khan picks up the phone in the team's war room during the 2023 NFL Draft weekend.
Steelers Will Likely Stick With What They Have
The Steelers have been criticized all offseason long for their supposedly weak receiving core. It doesn't help that Roman Wilson is missing significant time with a sprained ankle. George Pickens is still one of the most talented receivers in the game, but there are questions to how the other starters will fare. Can Van Jefferson step up and be a quality starter? Can Calvin Austin III finally have his breakout season?
Unless the Steelers want to go through the same situation all over again, it doesn't seem likely that they would trade for CeeDee Lamb, another star receiver looking for a significant payday. The Steelers may not have the best receiving core, but with their run-first style of offense, they probably don't need another elite receiver. They can keep their money and their draft picks to use them to fill other positions in the future, which may or may not include a wide receiver.
What do you think about Aiyuk most likely staying in San Francisco, as well as the Steelers' current receiving core? Let us know in the comments.
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