A future in which the Steelers employ George Pickens and Brandon Aiyuk for Russell Wilson and/or Justin Fields — and then potentially a near-future heir apparent — to target remains in play, but as of Saturday morning, it is not the expected scenario.
The Steelers remain on standby here as a fallback option, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler, who notes this situation has shifted from being a “coin-flip” between Pittsburgh and San Francisco back to a place in which the 49ers have a “slight edge” to end up extending the wide receiver. Since a Tuesday report confirmed the teams have trade parameters in place, this storyline has trended in this direction.
Indeed, Fowler adds execs around the league expect this drawn-out process to conclude with the 49ers extending Aiyuk. Since the trade framework came out — it is not known what the Steelers are prepared to trade — 49ers’ efforts to wrap this extension saga have headlined the latest chapters in an endless news cycle. Aiyuk has been at 49ers meetings and been seen talking to teammates at practice during his hold-in. John Lynch said Friday the aim remains for the 49ers to extend the second-team All-Pro.
The 49ers let Aiyuk’s camp talk terms with other teams, which led to Patriots and Browns proposals. Both AFC teams and the Commanders, who were also interested at one point (as they now roster former Aiyuk college QB Jayden Daniels), are not believed to be in the picture any longer. A 49ers-or-Steelers option has loomed regarding Aiyuk’s long-term future for a bit now, but San Francisco still needs to check some key boxes to finalize a long-sought-after deal.
Aiyuk has not yet been compelled to sign, as Fowler points out certain contractual demands remain unfulfilled. Guarantees and/or when those guarantees vest may well be part of this delay; Aiyuk targeted A.J. Brown‘s $84M guarantee number weeks ago, and the Bears giving D.J. Moore $82.6M in total guarantees gives the Bay Area resident more ammo here.
The fifth-year receiver has been connected to wanting an AAV in the $30M range, while the 49ers were tied to a $26M-$27M-per-year offer earlier this summer. The 49ers have upped their offer, and Fowler does float the $30M number — or a figure slightly less — as the likely endgame here. The Steelers were believed to have offered Aiyuk around $28M per year.
Continued 49ers interest in avoiding a trade puts the Steelers in strange territory. As their Aiyuk trade effort suddenly looks shaky, the Steelers may need to come up with a backup plan to complement Pickens. As it stands, Van Jefferson — he of one 400-plus-yard season in four tries — is ticketed as the team’s top in-house WR2 option, The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo notes (subscription required). It has trended this way since Pittsburgh’s offseason program. Third-rounder Roman Wilson looms, but he has missed time during camp due to injury.
It will be interesting to see if the Steelers become connected to another receiver as a safety option — in the now-likelier event the 49ers finally extend Aiyuk.
