It wasn't clear for a while whether or not Brandon Aiyuk would take the field with the San Francisco 49ers in 2024.
Aiyuk was looking for a new contract and he and the 49ers both played hardball throughout contract negotiations. He requested a trade and the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns, and Washington Commanders all showed varying levels of interest. Pittsburgh seemed like the most likely landing spot and it sounds like a trade almost got done right before San Francisco signed Aiyuk to a new deal.
The 49ers reportedly gave Aiyuk an "ultimatum" to either accept their massive contract proposal or he would be traded to the Steelers and he decided to stay, according to The 33rd Team's
Ari Meirov and FOX Sports' Jay Glazer.
"The 49ers were ready to trade (wide receiver) Brandon Aiyuk to the Steelers on the day he signed his extension with San Francisco, per Jay Glazer," Meirov posted. "The front office was finalizing the trade and gave him an ultimatum: Take our contract or the trade happens today. He chose the deal."
The fact that he got so close to being traded is interesting. Contract negotiations seemed rough and neither side made things easy. Luckily, they were able to work something out at the very end and continue their partnership.
San Francisco will kick off its season with a Monday night matchup against the new-look New York Jets with Aiyuk expected to play a large role.
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