As former GM and three-time Super Bowl champion Michael Lombardi would say, we are in the middle of "lying season" in the NFL.
Inside a week until the draft, rumors are swirling in regards to picks and trades.
The 49ers, Steelers, and WR Brandon Aiyuk happen to be a part of the latter, but a direct contact to the situation is stepping on the Steeers hopes and dreams:
Rumors Are Untrue...Per Aiyuk's agent
Here's the 411, for the second time this week, Ryan Willaims, an agent for Brandon Aiyuk, has denied a report surrounding his client.
The first was that Aiyuk requested a trade, which was proven to be false by NFL insider Ian Rapoport.
His response above is a quote tweet of an aggregation story about a report from Noah Strackbein of All-Steelers on Sports Illustrated, where he noted the following on talks between Pittsburgh and San Francisco:
According to a team source, the Steelers and 49ers trade talks are real. While nothing is imminent, they "would be surprised if it didn't happen." But it all comes down to compensation, and Pittsburgh isn't willing to budge much on price.
-Noah Stackbein, All-Steelers
Look, this the ultimate he said, she said situation. Aiyuk himself has kept quiet on the situation other than tweeting at Mike Tomlin, and the Steelers, for obvious reasons, have said nothing.
San Francisco on the other hand, whether it be via their GM or Aiyuk's representation are all on board that the two sides are cordial and looking to hammer out a long-term deal.
There's also the fact that Aiyuk unfollowed San Francisco on social media, to which some scoffed, while others viewed it as a piece to the puzzle.
Here's the bottom line. Pittsburgh is interested, even if Mike Florio's report about the 49ers denying their request is true.
How much they are willing to give up, and how far things have to go before Aiyuk is truly tradeable for San Francisco is what's still to be determined.
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