The San Francisco 49ers are having discussions with teams to trade Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel to move up in the 2024 NFL Draft, according to Dianna Russini of the Athletic. That is the first known time that the 49ers were shopping both players, and the Steelers could be one of the teams in play.
Early on Thursday Aiyuk coming to Pittsburgh did not seem too likely, 49ers beat reporter Mike Silver said on Thursday in an appearance on 93.7 The Fan.
While Silver did say that the 49ers are fielding phone calls, the 49ers are more likely to keep him than trade him, and even if they do trade him, the Steelers are not at the top of the list right now.
“I actually believe, based on my latest information, the Steelers are not in play,” Silver said. “I was told by somebody who’s aware of what’s going on, on Tuesday. … So based on my information at that time, that ball was not rolling, nor had the groundwork really been laid. But, these things can happen reasonably fast.”
The 49ers have been asking for a first round pick in exchange for Aiyuk, who wants a new contract in the range of $25 million per year. General manager John Lynch has been steadfast in saying that he does not want to trade the star receiver.
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“With B.A., I’ve communicated on many occasions: Our wish is that he’s here as part of the Niners for the rest of his career,” Lynch said on Monday. “We’re working through that. I’m not going to get in all those details. We’re really focused on B.A. being a part of (our team). We’re having good talks, and I’m just going to leave it at that.”
The Steelers have expressed interest in trading for Aiyuk, Steelers Now has confirmed, but their initial efforts were rebuffed, according to Mike Florio of NBC Sports.
“My understanding is that the Steelers placed a phone call a few weeks ago. And were told by the 49ers we’re not trading the guy,” Florio said in an appearance on 93.7 the Fan on Wednesday.
According to offshore sportsbook SportsBetting.ag, the Steelers are the favorites to land Aiyuk should he leave San Francisco. Aiyuk is heading into the last year of his rookie contract, and will play on the fifth-year option. But the 49ers have a cap crunch, and with Aiyuk needing an extension, that could be significant.
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