Brandon Aiyuk tweets at Mike Tomlin, hints at possible Steelers trade
San Francisco 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk may very well be available for trade, with the 26-year-old entering the final year of his contract.
Aiyuk, coming off his best season to date, figures to be highly coveted by teams looking for a surefire WR1. That list would certainly include the Pittsburgh Steelers, who traded Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers last week and released Allen Robinson.
Aiyuk took to X on Tuesday and appeared to let head coach Mike Tomlin know he’s interested in donning the black and gold.
“@CoachTomlin they saying we twins,” Aiyuk wrote. “What you think?”
Aiyuk later deleted the tweet. At the time, it was his first post on X since April 2023.
Aiyuk’s cryptic-like tweet came just hours after Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan reported that the Steelers have looked into acquiring Aiyuk.
“The Steelers have looked into 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk. He’s entering the last year of his contract. Steelers would have to execute a sign and trade. But they’ve shown interest,” Fillipponi wrote.
Steelers looking into acquiring Brandon Aiyuk, per report
Aiyuk, the 2020 first-round pick out of Arizona State, hauled in 75 receptions for a career-high 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns this past season. He earned a second-team All-Pro nomination. For his career, he has tallied 269 receptions for 3,931 yards and 25 scores. The 49ers picked up Aiyuk’s fifth-year option last offseason, guaranteeing him $14.12 million in 2024. He is currently scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in 2025.
The Steelers currently sit with $11,877,127 in cap space, meaning Pittsburgh would need to make some moves in order to get cap compliant if they were to acquire Aiyuk. In order to acquire Aiyuk, the Steelers would likely have to part ways with their 20th overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, plus other assets.
According to Mia O’Brien of 1010 XL, the 49ers engaged in trade discussions surrounding Aiyuk with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The 49ers reportedly asked for pick No. 17 and Zay Jones, which the Jaguars didn’t go for.
Will Pittsburgh bite on San Francisco’s high asking price? It’s a decision General Manager Omar Khan will have to make in the coming days/weeks.