Update:
Thursday was overall a quiet day for updates when it came to the ongoing trade saga involving 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk. Most of the buzz still seems centered on a potential trade with the Steelers but the two sides appear to have hit a stalemate.
In an interview on The Rich Eisen Show, NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo says Pittsburgh has a contract offer on the table that Aiyuk would be happy with, although it’s less than some of the other offers he’s received from interested teams. Garafolo notes Aiyuk seems really bought in on the Steelers and CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones says it’s because he wants to play for HC Mike Tomlin.
However, the Steelers have not met the 49ers’ asking price in a trade and one of the hurdles is a lack of a receiver or other contributing player to send back who could help San Francisco replace Aiyuk as they pursue a Super Bowl in 2024.
Garafolo says he’s heard the 49ers have begun “nosing around” the league to try and find a third partner in the trade who could give them a receiver to replace Aiyuk.
“I have no doubt in my mind that the 49ers have had those conversations,” Garafolo said. “I have been told that, and they’re nosing around the league. And the problem is that nobody’s really got an excess of receivers that can give you that caliber of guy that you’re looking for.”
ESPN’s Adam Schefter said the sense from talking to other teams is that the 49ers aren’t rushing into a trade at this point in time. He points out Aiyuk has turned down a few really strong contract offers so far which hasn’t helped his leverage.
Update:
Jordan Schultz says — despite continued reports on Twitter — there is still no officially agreed upon trade between the 49ers and Steelers for WR Brandon Aiyuk.
Schultz says the two sides have continued to speak and the situation remains fluid. But as of 1:31 PM Eastern, there is no agreement on all sides on a deal, including trade compensation between Pittsburgh and San Francisco and a new contract for Aiyuk.
Jonathan Jones added the Steelers remain in the mix for Aiyuk but a deal is still not in place and negotiations are ongoing.
Mike Garafolo, citing Aiyuk’s agent looming in the background of his TV shot at Raiders training camp, also says nothing official is done yet, although both sides continue to negotiate.
From Inside Training Camp Live on @nflnetwork with #49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk’s agent @RyanWilliamsA1 … sort of. pic.twitter.com/GaZatHW2xx
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 7, 2024
Gerry Dulac, a Steelers beat reporter, says the reports of a verbal agreement being in place are erroneous. He added any potential deal for Aiyuk would not involve Pittsburgh sending back a player.
Update:
NBC Sports’ Matt Maiocco has gleaned a few more details on the developing trade talks between the 49ers, WR Brandon Aiyuk and a handful of other teams.
Maiocco confirms the Patriots dropped out of the running after Aiyuk showed little interest in accepting their contract offer, which was reportedly north of $30 million a year and the highest he’s been offered so far by any team.
The Patriots had already worked out the framework of an offer with the 49ers that would have included WR Kendrick Bourne.
The Browns are the other team that has reached an agreement with San Francisco on trade compensation, per Maiocco. The deal would include WR Amari Cooper, a second-round draft pick and potentially more picks, with the 49ers paying some of Aiyuk’s salary to make up for the Browns having already given Cooper nearly all of his scheduled 2024 salary to get him to report to training camp.
However, Maiocco points out Aiyuk has also shown little interest in the contract offer from the Browns so far. He adds it would not be surprising if Aiyuk accepted a lesser contract offer if it meant joining the Steelers, one of his preferred destinations this offseason.
The Steelers recently have re-engaged with the 49ers on compensation after seemingly being out of things on Monday. Maiocco says Pittsburgh doesn’t have many players to offer the 49ers but could put second and third-round picks on the table, plus other Day 3 selections.
As far as the possibility of Aiyuk remaining in San Francisco, Maiocco reports the current focus is on trying to work out the logistics of a trade. Mike Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle says the last contract offer from the 49ers to Aiyuk came in May a couple of weeks after the draft.
That led to Aiyuk requesting a trade and “holding in” — reporting to training camp but not participating in practice to avoid fines. Silver says that has gotten on 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan‘s nerves and he’s fed up with things, enough to where the team has changed its stance on Aiyuk and is ready to explore a trade after shutting down previous inquiries.
Silver notes three teams that Aiyuk’s camp has talked to are all willing to beat the last offer the 49ers put on the table, which was around $26 million a year. Silver has also heard Aiyuk is hesitant about playing for the Browns or Patriots and prefers the Steelers, but Pittsburgh has to meet the 49ers’ asking price.
Update:
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Patriots have decided to no longer explore any trade possibilities with the 49ers regarding WR Brandon Aiyuk after they initially inquired about a deal.
Schefter says that New England is “excited about their young receivers and want to focus on them.”
According to Matt Maiocco, the Patriots had an agreement in place with the 49ers along with a “large offer” to Aiyuk on the table, but he “did not show interest in going there.”
In an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero shared some nuggets about the ongoing trade saga with 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk.
- Pelissero says the 49ers started taking trade calls on Aiyuk about a week and a half ago and that was the first sign that they might be softening their previous hardline stance on not dealing him.
- Pelissero stressed that it’s a fluid situation with a lot of moving parts, including Aiyuk finding a contract from another team he’s willing to accept. If he vetoes all deals, the 49ers could still end up keeping him on the final year of his rookie deal.
- He added it’s fair to say trade compensation for the 49ers from the current teams has been “discussed thoroughly,” and San Francisco has a good idea of what they’d get back for Aiyuk.
- Pelissero mentioned the 49ers shifted course in order to explore their options with adding another receiver and end the drama of the whole situation with no momentum toward a new contract.
Update:
According to Ian Rapoport, there are a few teams that are currently having active trade discussions with the 49ers for WR Brandon Aiyuk.
Rapoport says the Browns, Patriots and Steelers are all involved at this point, with the Browns and Patriots further ahead of the Steelers in terms of negotiations with San Francisco.
Adam Schefter says the Steelers re-engaged in conversations at mid-day today and are back involved after talks stalled Monday night.
Rapoport adds Aiyuk has a lot of say in this process because he would have to agree to a new contract with the team that trades for him. Mike Garafolo echoes that Aiyuk is trying to influence this process and has teams he would rather play for above others.
Garafolo mentions it seems unlikely that this all ends up with Aiyuk signing a long-term deal with the 49ers.
Rapoport concludes this is a more fluid situation than any trade he’s covered in recent memory, with a lot of different outcomes still possible.
Update:
Here’s the latest on trade rumors involving 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk as of Tuesday morning, August 6:
- The 49ers have granted Aiyuk’s camp permission to negotiate a contract with other teams and are willing to listen to trade offers, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss. The Browns and Patriots are in contact with both sides, while the Steelers do not appear to be a potential trade destination any longer.
- Reiss adds the Patriots have been pursuing Aiyuk for some time, and the 49ers’ willingness to listen to offers is a change from a couple of weeks ago.
- Mark Daniels confirms New England has the framework of a deal for Aiyuk in place with San Francisco. Josina Anderson says it’s the same offer the Patriots have had on the table for months.
- At this point, Reiss says the holdup appears to be the contract, with Aiyuk balking at multiple offers so far that would pay him more than twice his currently scheduled $14.124 million 2024 salary.
- Reiss notes the 49ers have said they’re willing to keep Aiyuk after all of this and calls it a “fluid situation.”
- Regarding the Steelers’ involvement in talks, Pro Football Talk has heard that “no decisions have been made” regarding a Steelers trade for Aiyuk.
Update:
The Browns and Patriots are the front runners in a trade for 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk, according to Matt Maiocco.
Maiocco reports that San Francisco has the framework for a trade in place with both teams and it is up to Aiyuk to decide whether or not he’ll accept either team’s contract terms.
Patriots WR Kendrick Bourne and Browns WR Amari Cooper are two players that could be traded back to San Francisco if the team ends up moving forward with a deal.
Maiocco noted the Washington Commanders and Pittsburgh Steelers were also involved but Washington backed out of talks and Pittsburgh was not willing to meet San Francisco’s asking price.
Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero are reporting that contract talks between the 49ers and WR Brandon Aiyuk remain stalled and it now appears to be more likely that he will be traded than sign an extension with San Francisco.
According to the report, multiple teams are in play for an Aiyuk trade at this time.
Multiple teams have been granted permission to speak with Aiyuk about an extension that could pave the way for a potential trade.
NFL Network says that there is no trade in place with the Steelers or any other team at this point in time.
Longtime 49ers beat reporter Matt Maiocco says he now believes there’s a real possibility the 49ers agree to trade WR Brandon Aiyuk instead of signing him to a new deal.
Maiocco previously thought there was no way San Francisco would give up Aiyuk in a prime year of their Super Bowl window.
However, he cites growing trade buzz around Aiyuk involving the Browns and Patriots, who would each give Aiyuk the contract he wants and be able to give the 49ers a proven receiver in return to help minimize the loss of Aiyuk.
Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com writes the Browns would likely have to include WR Amari Cooper as part of a trade package for Aiyuk, though it’s worth pointing out the Browns just restructured Cooper’s contract before training camp.
As for New England, Maiocco says they could include WR Kendrick Bourne who played in San Francisco before signing with New England as a free agent. But in that case, it’s worth noting Bourne is coming off a torn ACL and is still getting back to full speed. The Patriots also inquired about Aiyuk in July and were rebuffed.
Maiocco notes the 49ers are believed to have an offer out to Aiyuk a couple of million shy of the $30 million annually the receiver has been seeking. He adds it’s possible the ball might be in Aiyuk’s court now with options to go to other teams willing to meet his contract demands or staying in San Francisco.
Both ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jeremy Fowler said this past week it felt like little progress was made on contract talks between Aiyuk and the 49ers, with both sides dug in on their stances.
Several reports have said that while San Francisco does want to keep Aiyuk on a long-term deal, so far the 49ers haven’t been willing to meet the market. Aiyuk sees himself as a top-ten receiver and wants to be paid accordingly.
While Aiyuk reported to training camp, he has not been practicing and officially requested a trade in July.
Aiyuk, 26, was a one-year starter at Arizona State and earned first-team All-Pac 12 in his final season. The 49ers traded up with the Vikings to select him with the No. 25 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
He signed a four-year, $12,531,342 rookie contract that included a $6,673,703 signing bonus. The 49ers picked up his fifth-year option last year that will cost them $14,124,000 fully guaranteed for the 2024 season.
Aiyuk is set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2025.
In 2023, Aiyuk appeared in 16 games for the 49ers and caught 75 passes for 1,342 yards receiving and seven touchdowns.
We will have more news on Aiyuk as it becomes available.
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