The moment the trade between the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Fransisco 49ers for Brandon Aiyuk goes down, all will be right in the world.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Saturday that Pittsburgh made both a strong trade offer and a strong contract offer for Aiyuk. Nothing concrete has been revealed about what precisely those offers have been.
So, why are they stalling?
The Steelers have just one more training camp session before summer practices end and 27 days until kickoff. Meanwhile, Aiyuk has been holding in at Niners camp, watching practice and participating in team meetings in San Fran.
One has to wonder if, as a veteran receiver, Aiyuk simply doesn’t wish to participate in the grueling training camp process.
Perhaps the deal will finally go down once Latrobe is a distant memory. Then, it becomes a matter of Aiyuk learning the playbook and getting reconditioned to practice. If Aiyuk does join the Steelers at this late stage, he could need to be eased in to help avoid injury.
From @NFLGameDay Kickoff: As the Brandon Aiyuk turns… 🌎 pic.twitter.com/3pJUAv7pFc
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 10, 2024