The Steelers are in the mix to trade for 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who demanded a trade earlier this offseason.
An unsubstantiated report from a blogger indicated that a deal had been done between the Steelers and 49ers on an Aiyuk trade. That is not correct. But they seem to be among the finalists.
ESPN's Adam Schefter said the Steelers were in talks with the 49ers on the parameters of a trade package involving Aiyuk. NBC Sports Bay Area had reported on Monday night that the Patriots and Browns have already worked out the framework of said trade.
That's far from the done deal that was reported by the blogger on Monday.
Aiyuk is seeking a guaranteed deal as he's heading into the last year of his rookie contract, which will pay him just over $14 million this season, after which he can become an unrestricted free agent. Teammate Deebo Samuel utilized the same strategy — demanding a trade as his contract was near expiration, with the requisite leverage — before signing a three-year extension worth up to $73.5 million during the 2022 offseason.
As of now, the Steelers are massive +5000 underdogs to win the Super Bowl, +185 underdogs to make the playoffs (and -235 to miss the playoffs) and worst-ranked at +800 to win one of football's most difficult divisions in the AFC North. Of course, these odds are expected to substantially shorten should Aiyuk head their way, though the degree to which will depend on the compensation package. It doesn't help that their quarterback situation is fickle, with two castaway QBs vying for the opening day starter job in Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.
Other teams in the mix for Aiyuk include the Commanders, Browns, Patriots, Raiders and Jets, among others. All of those teams — including the Steelers — are in the bottom half in the Super Bowl odds leaderboard except the Browns, which rank No. 16 at +4000, according to DraftKings.
