The Brandon Aiyuk saga finally came to an end on Thursday evening, when the star wideout agreed to a four-year, $120 million extension with the San Francisco 49ers. To say this story felt like a roller coaster is an understatement. At one point, it felt like Aiyuk was going to be a member of the Washington Commanders. Then, it felt like an inevitability he would be traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ultimately, Aiyuk stays in The Bay.
Reports indicated that the 49ers had deals in place with several franchises for a potential Aiyuk trade, but then it was on Aiyuk’s camp to negotiate his new contract with the other franchise. In hindsight, it would have taken quite the offer to get Aiyuk out of San Francisco. Another detail regarding a potential trade was that the 49ers wanted at least one player in return for Aiyuk. In fact, the Denver Broncos may have held up Aiyuk being traded to Pittsburgh.
According to The Athletic, the 49ers were only willing to trade Aiyuk if they could get a “top-flight” receiver to replace him. San Francisco offered Denver a third-round pick for Courtland Sutton, and if that offer were accepted, Aiyuk would have reportedly been traded to the Steelers. However, the Broncos said “no thank you” to a Sutton trade. 
There are, of course, other reasons why Aiyuk was not traded to the Steelers. Pittsburgh could have offered one of its starting wideouts in trade talks, or offered Aiyuk top three WR money.
The longer the 49ers waited to re-sign their No. 1 wideout, the more it cost them. As the wide receiver market continued to explode while other teams simultaneously negotiated with Aiyuk’s camp, his expectations grew. And on Thursday, he signed a contract that would have made him the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL had he signed it earlier this offseason.
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