A report from Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh claimed that the San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers had reached a verbal agreement for a trade involving wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Fillipponi stated, "All the terms of the deal and contract details are being hammered out now. The WR is coming to Pittsburgh."
NFL insider Jordan Schultz refuted this report, declaring that, according to multiple sources, no trade agreement is in place.
"The two sides have spoken, they continue to speak, and the situation remains very fluid," Schultz added.
Sources: There is still no deal between the #49ers and #Steelers on a trade that would send WR Brandon Aiyuk to Pittsburgh, per multiple sources. The two sides have spoken, they continue to speak, and the situation remains very fluid.
But as of this post, there is no agreement… pic.twitter.com/vJNlZ1VgUN
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 7, 2024
Schultz is typically reliable. However, as he stated, the situation remains fluid. While there might not be an agreement currently in place, that doesn't mean one isn't close or won't happen. The Steelers re-emerged as a trade candidate after being reported as a team that had seemingly exited negotiations.
Earlier this week, the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots were seen as the frontrunners to acquire Aiyuk. The 49ers reportedly had trade frameworks in place with both teams. However, the Patriots have recently exited trade talks, likely because Aiyuk was unwilling to sign a long-term deal with the rebuilding team.
Pittsburgh is one of Aiyuk's preferred trade destinations, with the other being the Washington Commanders. Aiyuk seeks to become one of the NFL's highest-paid receivers and is looking for a contract in the range of $30 million annually. The 49ers have been unwilling to budge from their latest offer, which reportedly would pay Aiyuk approximately $26 million per year.
Aiyuk is currently slated to earn $14.124 million in 2024 on a team-exercised fifth-year option.