According to a new report, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots all dodged an expensive bullet.
The Athletic's Dianna Russini and Mike Silver report that the San Francisco 49ers and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk are on track to part ways in 2026 after the team voided Aiyuk's contract guarantees over frustrations about him missing team meetings and activities in the past few months.
In that same report, Russini and Silver revealed that the Browns and Patriots were in the mix to trade for Aiyuk in 2024, but he wasn't keen on signing an extension with either team, which put a halt to any deal.
"The 49ers negotiated trade scenarios with the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots, but Aiyuk was reluctant to sign extensions with those teams, effectively ending the chances of a deal," the report states.
Aiyuk was, however, open to signing an extension with the Steelers, and Pittsburgh even had an offer on the table that would have sent the Niners second- and third-round picks.
"He was amenable to making a long-term commitment with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who were willing to part with second- and third-round draft picks to acquire him, according to sources," Russini and Silver added.
Right before the Steelers and Niners pulled off the trade, Aiyuk and the Niners agreed to a $120 million contract extension that kept him in San Francisco.
Safe the say, the Niners are regretting that decision.
In between that and this most recent report from The Athletic, Aiyuk suffered a torn ACL and MCL in October of last year that has kept him off the field this season.
Despite all of those issues, Aiyuk will draw interest on the open market in 2026. After all, he's a former 1,000-yard wide receiver who will likely come cheap because of what has taken place this season.
It's conceivable the Patriots and Steelers could both have interest in Aiyuk next offseason, but the price will have to be right.
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