After teasing Steelers fans for months, the San Francisco 49ers pulled the rug out from under the table. At one point, it was reported that Pittsburgh had a deal in place for Brandon Aiyuk; they were simply waiting for GM John Lynch and the Niners to pull the trigger. Instead, the Broncos came along and screwed everything up.
Now Aiyuk has made amends with his team -- signing a lucrative four-year, $120 million contract to stay in San Francisco. Dianna Russini of The Athletic blames the Denver Broncos for taking the Steelers' trade for Aiyuk off the table.
The only way the 49ers were going to send Aiyuk packing amid a Super Bowl window is if they received a starting wide receiver in a trade to help fill the void. San Francisco was in talks with Denver about a trade that would send veteran WR Courtland Sutton to the Niners for a third-round pick.
The Broncos said no.
The 49ers only were willing to trade Brandon Aiyuk if they could get a top-flight WR to replace him. They offered a third-round pick to Denver for Courtland Sutton, and then would’ve dealt Aiyuk to the Steelers, but the Broncos declined the offer.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) August 29, 2024
So, he stays in SF.
Denver's decision to decline the offer from San Francisco forced the Niners to take their trade with the Steelers off the table. If the Broncos weren't willing to give them what they wanted, the Steelers weren't getting what they desired either.
Broncos sabotaged Steelers' trade for Brandon Aiyuk
The Denver Broncos are a mess. This once illustrious franchise is coming off its seventh straight losing season, and their decision to decline Day 2 draft capital to keep Sutton is a win-now move.
The problem is this team isn't ready to win now. Even with a terrific head coach in Sean Payton trying to resuscitate an irrelevant Broncos team, the talent on the roster is weak compared to the rest of the league, and Denver is starving for draft capital (they can Russell Wilson for that).
Steelers fans should be able to empathize with Broncos fans. We think it's bad enough that Pittsburgh has plateaued as a nine-win team; try averaging six wins per season since 2017. Payton and general manager George Paton want to make sure quarterback Bo Nix succeeds, and taking away his top receiving option won't help.
We understand why the Broncos refused to part ways with Sutton, but their decision to do so sabotaged Pittsburgh's chances of pulling off a trade for Brandon Aiyuk. it doesn't make it sting any less.
Now we have to hope George Pickens can stay healthy and this team can somehow churn out a competent passing game despite some underwhelming options at the wide receiver position. Fans are going to have added incentive to boo the Broncos when the Steelers travel to Denver in Week 2.