San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

49ers star sounds off on Brandon Aiyuk trade speculation

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated Aug 6, 2024 7:03 PM ET

Depending on which NFL insider you believe, the San Francisco 49ers are having talks with as many as four teams regarding a potential trade for star receiver Brandon Aiyuk.

NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco reported Monday night the team had the framework in place for trades with both the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Tuesday afternoon the Pittsburgh Steelers has re-entered the conversation as well.

It seems like there’s a greater chance that Aiyuk is traded than there is of him hashing out a contract extension with the 49ers, which is something teammate Nick Bosa doesn’t seem to be too pleased with.

“It’s brutal, especially when you’re here and have that extra pressure on you,” Bosa told reporters on Tuesday of the Aiyuk situation. “I’ve talked to him a few times just as a friend … I think it’d be [a huge loss]. I trust John and Kyle, but he’s a very tough player to replace.”

This is not a simple trade to execute. Any interested team would have to meet the asking price of Brandon Aiyuk and the 49ers. It’s easy to meet one of those conditions but considerably more complicated to meet both. So far, no one has been able to do it. https://t.co/j66mJLBe7R
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 6, 2024

The 49ers have maintained that they (nor their players) want to part ways with Aiyuk, but after the 26-year-old turned down their last contract offer — reportedly in the $26M per year range — there hasn’t been any positive momentum toward finding a resolution.

Of the three teams reportedly negotiating with the 49ers, the Steelers seem to be Aiyuk’s preferred destination; however, they’re also the least likely team to meet San Francisco’s asking price and they also don’t have a No. 2 receiver they can send back San Francisco’s way like Cleveland (Amari Cooper) or New England (Kendrick Bourne) does.

It’s also been reported that the Patriots are the one team that is offering Aiyuk the most money on an extension, but they’re also the team furthest away from competing for a Super Bowl. With the Browns, Aiyuk would join a playoff-caliber team with a solid supporting cast around him (Jerry Jeudy, Elijah Moore).

Michael Gallagher

Michael Gallagher is a longtime sports journalist based out of Nashville with a decade of experience covering college football, mixed martial arts and prep sports plus the NFL and NHL — specifically the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators. He’s covered several notable sporting events including an AFC Championship game, a Stanley Cup Final, an NHL All-Star Game and an NHL Stadium Series. Some of his past bylines can be found at the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, The Hockey News and Fox Sports Knoxville

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