The Pittsburgh Steelers are still engaged in trade talks with the San Francisco 49ers involving receiver Brandon Aiyuk, although the two sides have yet to reach an agreement, league sources told The Athletic on Wednesday.
The 49ers, to this point, haven’t been satisfied with the Steelers’ offers, although they are open to players at other positions besides wide receiver, league sources said.
49ers coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed Tuesday the team gave Aiyuk permission to negotiate a potential new deal with other teams.
Over the weekend, the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots were the top suitors, according to multiple reports, and the Pittsburgh Steelers have resurfaced as a possible destination. The Patriots, however, reportedly ended their pursuit of a deal to land Aiyuk, who reportedly is not interested in playing in New England.
Before Tuesday, the 49ers had maintained they wanted to retain Aiyuk, who finished with a career-high 1,342 receiving yards last season, but also have said they’ll take calls regarding a potential trade. Aiyuk has been a “hold-in” since the start of training camp — he attends meetings but has yet to take part in any practices since the offseason program began in the spring.
The Steelers have an obvious need at wide receiver after dealing former Pro Bowler Diontae Johnson this offseason. The depth chart currently features George Pickens at the top and a lot of question marks behind him.
On Wednesday, coach Mike Tomlin was asked if the Steelers could still be interested in adding a receiver to round out the room.
“I’ll let you guys speculate on that,” he said, with a grin.
Aiyuk made it clear in late June on “The Pivot Podcast,” hosted by former Steeler Ryan Clark, that Pittsburgh would be one of his preferred destinations if he doesn’t return to San Francisco. But the big question is whether Pittsburgh has the right return to make a deal work.
Leave a Reply