Don’t hold your breath if you’re from Pittsburgh and have been excited about the possibility of the Steelers acquiring wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
When questioned about Pittsburgh media reports that the Steelers are looking into a possible trade for the 49ers second-team All-Pro, San Francisco general manager John Lynch responded on Monday.
It didn’t seem like the conversation would go anywhere.
“I’m sorry to disappoint them,” Lynch said with a laugh. “I was just with Mike Tomlin at the Michigan pro day. Mike coached me (in Tampa Bay), so we’re very close. And he’s, like, ‘What’s going on?’ And I said, ‘I promise you, there’s nothing going on there.’ We’re actively talking with Brandon, trying to figure something out.”
Aiyuk wants an extension since his rookie contract is about to expire. But contract extensions are typically worked out by the 49ers in July or August. Rather than waiting to see if the Niners will extend him before training camp, it seems that Aiyuk is generating trade interest in order to swiftly secure one with another team through a deal.
“We have a good history of working with the guys we want to get done. To get something done, it takes two sides. So can we do that? We’ll see,” Lynch continued. “There’s a number of different directions that it could go. But we appreciate the heck out of Brandon, and who he is as a player and we want him to be a part of the Niners. So we’re going to work towards making that a reality.”
When Aiyuk began following Trevor Lawrence and a few other Jacksonville Jaguars on Instagram earlier in March, it was his social media activity that ignited many trade talks. Soon afterward, that city was the source of some trade rumors.
Then, after a photo of the two side by side gained some traction online, Aiyuk really started things off on the Pittsburgh front with this post that tagged Tomlin.
Regarding Aiyuk, I stand by my remarks from last week. Even though Lynch is publicly dousing them in cold water, the Steelers should fan the flames if there is any truth to the rumors that Aiyuk might be traded.
The Steelers are in dire need of a wide receiver, so if Aiyuk were to somehow make his way to Pittsburgh, he would immediately take the top spot on the team’s target list. Indeed, prior to George Pickens. That is, unless Pickens can eventually demonstrate that he can elevate his level of maturity and polish to match his absurdly high level of physical prowess.
The Aiyuk chat undoubtedly draws attention to the Steelers’ current hole following the Diontae Johnson trade. Now that Johnson is in Carolina, who can provide Pickens with a reliable No. 2 receiving complement? Van Jefferson and Quez Watkins, who were recently acquired, don’t meet that criteria. Calvin Austin, a third-year player, doesn’t either.
When Tomlin stated on Sunday that Johnson had not requested a trade, I took notice. I wouldn’t have traded him if that were true (though it might not be).
There wasn’t really much of a reason to deal with Johnson if he wasn’t a resentful person attempting to get out of town. If nothing else, I would have looked for a better return than Donte Jackson alone. If the Steelers hadn’t taken him off their hands, the Panthers would have probably cut him.
Although Johnson isn’t my favorite defensive back, I believe he is a better pass catcher than Jackson. At this point, the organization lacks a definite offensive strategy to make up for Johnson’s loss.
It sounds like Lynch is telling the Steelers to mine for gold somewhere else if they are looking to San Francisco for the solution in Aiyuk.