Steelers Rumors: Brandon Aiyuk trade 'still on the table' for Pittsburgh

Make it stop! Since the beginning of the 2024 offseason, Steelers fans have been teased and tormented by trade rumors that 49ers star receiver Brandon Aiyuk would be coming to Pittsburgh.

On August 13, an Aiyuk trade looked like a done deal if Niners general manager John Lynch was willing to give the final sign-off. One week later, the Steelers reportedly scared off Aiyuk with a lowball contract offer, had a trade been executed. This sent him back to San Francisco to negotiate an extension with his current team... or so we thought.

On August 22, a rumor surfaced from Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle with Adam Copeland of KNBR that the 49ers are still open to trading Aiyuk.

"My updated information is that everything is still on the table, including all the trades you've heard about," Silver explained. "That Steelers scenario... I wouldn't rule out Washington."

Buckle up! This Aiyuk trade saga isn't' over yet.

Steelers must hold their ground on Brandon Aiyuk trade offer

In the first two weeks of the preseason, Pittsburgh's offense was pitiful. But their issues stemmed far beyond the wide receiver position. The quarterback play and the offensive line have been concerningly poor. These are issues adding even a top-notch wide receiver won't fix.

The Steelers have too much work to do on their own team to up the offer to Aiyuk and the 49ers. The latest report suggested Pittsburgh's front office made Aiyuk's party an offer that would pay the receiver under $28 million per season in new annual earnings.

The one area Omar Khan should be willing to budge on is including a player in the trade, as long as it's not an essential building block. If they did so, however, sending only a second-round pick to San Francisco with a player would be a reasonable offer.

Things clearly have not been resolved between Aiyuk and the 49ers, and John Lynch would love to wash his hands of the situation before the start of the season.

The report suggests that 'everything is still on the table' -- including 'all the trades' we've heard about. Silver noted that we can't rule out the Washington Commanders this time around either.

If this somehow turns into a bidding war for Aiyuk, the Steelers can't take the bait. We already know that Aiyuk wants to be in Washington or Pittsburgh if the 49ers don't meet his demands. As much as we want this Brandon Aiyuk trade drama to be over, Omar Khan needs to hold his ground on his offer and wait for things to play out.