If you just want to see an end to the drama involving wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, the San Francisco 49ers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, you aren't going to love what one Niners beat reporter predicts. However, you will like the eventual outcome he lays out if you're a Steelers fan.
As we continue to wait for a resolution, Sports Illustrated's Grant Cohn believes that this situation will drag on through the first two weeks of the regular season as the wide receiver continues to hold out for a better deal from the Niners.
Ultimately, Cohn doesn't think San Francisco will budge, which will lead to the team finally trading Aiyuk to the Steelers.
I think Aiyuk will hold out for an offer the 49ers ultimately won't make, then he'll sit out the first few weeks of the season and finally the 49ers will trade him to the Steelers for picks which they'll send to a third team for a veteran wide receiver who currently isn't on the trade market.
On the opposite end of the timeline, ESPN's Adam Schefter believes a resolution may be coming this week, although that looks to be an opinion rather than a report based on sources. He didn't make a prediction for where Aiyuk will end up.
"At some point in time, the 49ers need to get resolution,” he said (H/T Steelers Depot). “So I would expect this issue to heat up this week at some point in time. Because it’s reached a critical juncture.”
Of course, the most ideal outcome for the Steelers would be to get Aiyuk to Pittsburgh before Week 1 so he can get acclimated with a new offense and quarterback, but at least Cohn's prediction has him landing with the Steelers.
As things stand now, the Niners and Aiyuk have reportedly agreed to the majority of a new deal, but the stud receiver isn't happy with the final year of the contract, which is what is holding things up on that end.
As far as the Steelers are concerned, they are basically playing the waiting game as Aiyuk tries to get his way in San Francisco. Pittsburgh reportedly has a trade in place with the Niners, and the team's contract offer to Aiyuk is reportedly more than San Fran's, but both teams are south of $28 million per year.
At this point, it's anyone's guess when this will end. After everything we've seen so far, the scenarios Schefter and Cohn lay out — and everything in between — are possible.
