San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

Brandon Aiyuk deal not as close to being done as previously reported

By Austen Bundy | Last updated Aug 7, 2024 6:00 PM ET

The Brandon Aiyuk saga appears to be going nowhere quickly. But was it really going anywhere to begin with?

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Tuesday that the New England Patriots were no longer pursuing a trade for the 26-year-old San Francisco 49ers wideout despite earlier reports they and the Cleveland Browns were the front-runners in any potential exchange.

So, if New England is reportedly out, are the Cleveland Browns the lone team in the conversation, or could the Pittsburgh Steelers be back in contention?

No word on Cleveland yet, but the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac reported Wednesday that there is "no verbal agreement" between San Francisco and Pittsburgh for Aiyuk.

The Steelers have no verbal agreement in place with the 49ers for Brandon Aiyuk and are not in process of hammering out final details, per sources. And any potential deal would NOT involve the Steelers giving up a player.
— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) August 7, 2024

The caveat of no Pittsburgh player heading to the Bay Area in any deal for Aiyuk likely indicates draft picks would be the only compensation for the fifth-year NFL receiver.

Aiyuk's agent, Ryan Williams, was spotted by NFL Network's Mike Garafolo at the Las Vegas Raiders' training camp Wednesday afternoon. The only on-record statements Williams made were "nothing is done" and "stop paying attention to everything you read on the internet," per Garafolo.

From Inside Training Camp Live on @nflnetwork with #49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk’s agent @RyanWilliamsA1 … sort of. pic.twitter.com/GaZatHW2xx
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 7, 2024