Latest Brandon Aiyuk update could send shockwaves throughout the NFL
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk clearly wants a new deal, and the latest update on this situation could truly shake the league up. Here is what is now being reported on Monday by Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero:
"Contract talks remain stalled and it seems more likely that Aiyuk will be traded than work out an extension with San Francisco, NFL Network Insiders Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero reported Monday. Multiple teams are in play for the ascending receiver, but a deal is not in place at this time, per Garafolo and Pelissero."
- Nick Shook
And here is more on the situation overall:
"In order to swing a trade, a few moving parts must be addressed. First, the 49ers would have to receive adequate compensation for a wideout who recorded consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in 2022 and 2023, including a career-best 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns last season. Aiyuk would also have to agree to an extension with a new team.
- Nick Shook
Multiple unspecified teams have been granted permission to speak with Aiyuk's agent with regard to hammering out a contract extension, should a trade precede it. At this point, though, there is no deal in place with the Steelers or anyone else, regardless of reports that have circulated around the internet, according to Garafolo and Pelissero.
A trade would be ideal for Aiyuk, who is all but guaranteed to make more money elsewhere than with the 49ers. That alone makes this storyline worth continuing to track in the days and potential weeks ahead."
So, some pretty major stuff here. We're now at the point where the San Francisco 49ers seem to be throwing in the towel on contract negotiations. With how much the WR market has exploded this offseason, it's no surprise that the 49ers, who have other huge contracts on their roster, have not been able to get to an agreement with Aiyuk.
The Niners do have Deebo Samuel on the roster and did take Ricky Pearsall in the 2024 NFL Draft, so while trading Aiyuk could surely be a blow to their offense, they do have other play-makers. Let's not forget to mention Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle, either. However, I am sure that the 49ers would have loved to keep Aiyuk around.
That simply might not happen at this point, so now it's perhaps a waiting game to see where the star wide receiver ends up. The Pittsburgh Steelers seem to be the one team that is connected to Aiyuk the most, but there is apparently no framework of a trade in place thus far. No matter where Brandon Aiyuk ends up for the 2024 NFL Season, he is surely going to get paid.