In a saga that has had heads spinning all week long, it now looks like the Pittsburgh Steelers may actually have reason to believe Brandon Aiyuk will soon be in the building. For the last few days, rumors and reports have ran wild about an Aiyuk-Steelers trade, and at this point, it's getting tiresome trying to keep up.
We understand.
But, an end to all of the chaos appears to be in sight.
CBS Sports insider Jonathan Jones gave an up-to-date report Thursday afternoon, live on CBS Sports HQ in regards to the situation, and Steelers fans will be thrilled to know what he knows.
"We're all waiting for Brandon Aiyuk to ultimately become a Pittsburgh Steeler," Jones affirmed. "The Steelers are, by far, the leader in the clubhouse.
"Why are they the leader in the clubhouse? Because that's where Brandon Aiyuk ultimately wants to go."
Well, there you have it. Brandon Aiyuk wants to be in Pittsburgh, so let's get a deal done, why don't we? Aiyuk wants to play for Mike Tomlin, as would a lot of players in this league.
What happened to the Browns and Patriots as Brandon Aiyuk trade suitors?
Yes, the Aiyuk trade rumors included a few other teams, most notably the New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns. Jones did give us all an update on Aiyuk's thoughts when it comes to those teams.
"He doesn't want to go to New England," Jones said.
Well, that's pretty straightforward.
And, as for the Browns? Well, that's a more interesting situation, according to Jones:
"It's my understanding that they had an even better trade package to send to the San Francisco 49ers, and an even better contract to give to Brandon Aiyuk, and he is not wanting to be a Cleveland Brown."
Aiyuk must have very, very good reasoning for wanting to go to the Steelers.
Does Brandon Aiyuk's trade desire hint at a Steelers quarterback decision?
One other point to ponder with this whole situation is the fact that Pittsburgh doesn't have a concrete starting quarterback. But, a lot of the tea leaves are pointing to Justin Fields ultimately beating out Russell Wilson for the job.
A couple of weeks ago, Wilson was "in pole position" for the job, and is still technically listed as the starter. However, as time goes by, Fields continues to impress in camp and has shown the coaching staff what makes him such a dynamic player, dual-skillset and all.
Why would Aiyuk want to come to a team that didn't know who their starting quarterback was? Maybe, he knows something the public does not. Maybe, the Steelers do know who will win the job in the end.
And maybe, it's Fields.
Imagining an offense where FIelds can use his legs and strength as a runner, but big arm as a passer with weapons like Aiyuk, George Pickens and company should have Pittsburgh fans ready to run through a wall.
This could be real, real fun ... and real soon.
For those wanting to watch the full video clip of Jones and his CBS live report, check it out here.