Fans across Steelers Nation were holding onto hope all offseason that Pittsburgh would land Brandon Aiyuk in a trade with the 49ers. That potential deal continued in the rumor mill through the preseason process and heated up plenty of times. There were a couple of instances where it seemed like Aiyuk was about to be traded to the Steelers only for him to eventually re-sign with the 49ers.
San Francisco played hardball with Aiyuk and stuck to their final offer. Their star receiver was not afraid to stick to his guns and refused to participate in the preseason process with the team. Rumor has it Pittsburgh was finalizing a trade for Aiyuk, but Kyle Shanahan intervened at the last moment before his prized player eventually re-signed with the organization.
It was close to getting done, but he remained with the 49ers in the end. The Steelers have little depth in their receiving core. On top of that, they still have no proven options at the receiver spot other than George Pickens.
Pittsburgh remains hopeful that some help will be on the way before the NFL trade deadline passes, but the team is finding ways to win without many quality receivers on the roster.
Steelers dodged a bullet with the Brandon Aiyuk trade saga
Even though the Steelers didn't land the big fish via trade this offseason, it doesn't mean it wasn't the better outcome. There is no question that Aiyuk is one of the better receivers in football, but he has shown early signs of struggle during the early start of the year. He looks out of it throughout three weeks of NFL action. His rust is likely due to his holdout which caused him to miss the entire preseason.
San Francisco is also missing a ton of their top talent due to injury. Christian McCaffrey hasn't played a snap for them in the regular season to this point, their offensive line has some questionable players, and Deebo Samuel has been out of the lineup. All the pressure is on Brock Purdy and Aiyuk to perform at a high standard, and both aren't playing to their highest potential right now.
When you pay a receiver like Aiyuk the money that the 49ers did, you need him to be the "go-to" guy for your offense. He still has a long season ahead of him, but he is not showing he deserves that contract at this moment in time. The Steelers would likely have been better off getting this player, but it is not the end of the world that they failed to trade for him.
Aiyuk would've had the same problems if he landed with Pittsburgh. He is rusty which should eventually wear off. If not, then this could be a detrimental contract for the 49ers. He needs to find another way to shift a gear forward because his first three games have been quiet. No touchdowns and 119 yards through three weeks is a rough start for Aiyuk and the 49er's long-term contract.