Pittsburgh Steelers ‘now out’ of Brandon Aiyuk trade sweepstakes

The Pittsburgh Steelers are reportedly now out of the running for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area states the 49ers have frameworks set up with the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots but states the Steelers are now out of it as they will not meet the 49ers’ asking price.

“The Steelers effectively no longer are an option after they declined to meet the 49ers’ trade demands,” Maiocco wrote.

The Steelers have been looking to acquire a wide receiver since they moved Diontae Johnson in March. Aiyuk is among those wide receivers they have considered, and it seems like general manager Omar Khan has continued negotiations with the 49ers, though nothing has come to fruition just yet.

Maiocco’s report could be as cut and dry as it appears. However, Aiyuk controls where he wants to go, as he will have to sign an extension with the 49ers to receive the maximum compensation they want for a player of his caliber.

Yet, this could be public leveraging from the 49ers to try and get the Steelers to bid up more, especially since Aiyuk has the Steelers on his list of teams that he would like to be on for the future.

This is as fluid a situation as any in the NFL right now, and it seems that twists and turns continue to come out from each side of the Aiyuk and 49ers’ camps. Regardless, it seems the Steelers will be talked about in the thick of these sweepstakes until Aiyuk is either traded or San Francisco reaches an agreement on an extension with him.