49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk teases Steelers fans with viral social media clip regarding his future
The rollercoaster ride that is the relationship between the San Francisco 49ers and WR Branon Aiyuk has taken another turn. In his latest move to either gain leverage or seek a trade, the second team All-Pro took to social media to say that the 49ers no longer want him: "They said they don’t want me […]
The rollercoaster ride that is the relationship between the San Francisco 49ers and WR Branon Aiyuk has taken another turn.
In his latest move to either gain leverage or seek a trade, the second team All-Pro took to social media to say that the 49ers no longer want him:
"They said they don’t want me back… I swear.”
The 49ers WRs and the Pittsburgh Steelers have been tied together since before the draft. After restructuring Alex Highsmith's contract to clear $7m in cap space, it looked as if a trade was imminent.
Former GM Michael Lombardi noted as much, saying that Pittsburgh nearly made a deal for one of the star-studded pass catchers from the Bay:
“There was talk that at the draft that Pittsburgh thought they had made a trade,” Lombardi said on the GM Shuffle Podcast. “Whether it was for Deebo or whether it was for Aiyuk, I don’t know. But then things kind of fell apart late.”
Steelers GM Omar Khan spoke to that last week during a radio hit on 93.7 The Fan, where he stated that making the move to free up cap space was in preparation for whatever may have come up over draft weekend, but perhaps more noteworthy, what's yet to come.
Aiyuk and the 49ers are not on good terms. His own trainer and former NFL WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh said as much last week when asked about the outlook of Aiyuk and his future:
"At one point, he thought he may sign,” Aiyuk’s personal trainer and former Bengals WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh said on 95.7 the Game. “So it was like, ‘I’m not gonna come out because I might have to go when I sign.’ And so that optimistic outlook has turned into a pessimistic outlook now. Like, damn, at one point he thought, ‘Hey, I might be leaving soon.’ So now, it’s like, ‘I have no idea."
Aiyuk also has shown interest in the Steelers, or at least in HC Mike Tomlin, publicly shooting his shot at the famed HC when trade talks were at their peak.
And while the NFL world is supposed to be on vacation, if there's service wherever GM Omar Khan is, it's safe to assume he's making a few calls to the 49ers brass at some point today.
Steelers’ Cam Heyward entertains the idea of playing with division-rival amidst contract impasse
He’s open to a new beginning.
