The Brandon Aiyuk saga might be finally nearing the finish line — one way or another.
According to a report by NFL Media early on Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers have a trade in place involving the star wide receiver. Additionally, Pittsburgh felt like it was in a good place to get an extension done with Aiyuk as it awaited San Francisco to give a final sign-off on the trade, according to the report.
Later in the day, though, the roller coaster saga took another turn, with the same outlet now reporting that the 49ers and Aiyuk are “not that far apart on a deal.” According to the report, Aiyuk has always preferred to stay in San Francisco, and the sides have agreed to a lot of the main parts of a new deal. If one more item can be ironed out, the report said, Aiyuk is expected to remain with the 49ers.
As the possibility of Aiyuk getting traded has increased in recent weeks, the Steelers had reportedly emerged as the front-runners to land him. The New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns reportedly had deals in place with the 49ers in order to acquire Aiyuk, but neither were able to get him to agree to a long-term extension.
The 49ers also revamped their efforts to keep Aiyuk last week, reports indicated. San Francisco still has a long-term offer on the table for Aiyuk, NFL Media added in its report on Tuesday.
However, Aiyuk still expressed some frustration with the 49ers in response to the report that the team was renewing their efforts to extend him.
“Brad, Niners be in the media everyday lol, it’s two options out there pick one and stop dropping reports simple,” Aiyuk wrote in an Instagram comment.
Aiyuk has been in a contract dispute with the 49ers for pretty much the entirety of the offseason, putting the possibility that he’d leave San Francisco on the table shortly after the Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He reportedly requested a trade a week before the start of training camp.
The 26-year-old is coming off arguably the best season of his career, recording 75 receptions for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns in the 2023 regular season. He’s entering the final year of his rookie deal and is presumably looking for a top-of-the-market deal after several top receivers signed historic extensions this offseason.
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