PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers are serious about acquiring a veteran wide receiver for Russell Wilson to throw to and George Pickens to work with. To this point, Brandon Aiyuk has been the name to watch, but NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport says things aren’t going as smoothly as believed.
Speaking on NFL Total Access, Rapoport said the San Francisco 49ers have received multiple phone calls about an Aiyuk trade, but to this point, none have been entertained.
Now, as far as the trade request, I would agree with his agent. There has been no trade request,” Rapoport said. “Obviously there have been some teams though who know that all is not well and know that he wants a contract extension. Some receiver-needy teams have acquired over the last several months to see if he could be available. To my knowledge, the 49ers have not entertained any of those talks.
According to team sources, the Steelers have engaged in talks for Aiyuk and continue to be confident they have a shot at landing him. They may have to wait until the 49ers give up on a contract extension before making it happen now that the team remains firm with their position.
Aiyuk is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and is only costing any team $14 million this year. He’ll be looking for a contract extension worth roughly $30 million per season, making his future with any team – including the Steelers – questionable.
Still, Pittsburgh would like to add a reliable name to their offense before the offseason is over.
