49ers' trade of Brandon Aiyuk to the Steelers has never seemed closer following insider's latest update

The Brandon Aiyuk contract stand-off has lasted a long time, and the latest update is.... There's still a stand-off.

Though the All-Pro wide receiver's future remains very much in limbo, the San Francisco 49ers trading Aiyuk to the Pittsburgh Steelers has never seemed closer.

NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported on Tuesday that the 49ers have a deal on a trade in place with the Pittsburgh Steelers and that Pittsburgh is in a "good place" on an Aiyuk contract. The 49ers need only to give the final sign-off for it to happen.

Rapoport added that the 49ers have a long-term contract offer out to Aiyuk for him to stay on a long-term deal. He has not accepted that deal.

The 49ers allowed Aiyuk to speak to potential trade partners last week and agreed frameworks on trades with the New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns, though it later emerged he did not wish to play for either of those teams.

San Francisco had also negotiated with the Steelers, though after a report late last week that the 49ers had re-engaged in talks over a long-term deal with Aiyuk, it appeared the most likely outcome was the 2020 first-round pick staying with the Niners.

But now the 49ers' hopes of hanging on to him appear to be very much hanging in the balance.

The ball looks to be in Aiyuk's court. With contract offers from both teams, he has a decision to make as to whether he wants to leave the team with which he has thrived in each of the last two campaigns for a Steelers team that plays in what most would regard as the best division in football.

But 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday spoke like a man confident in retaining his best wideout and getting him ready for the season after a long impasse. If the Niners are serious about keeping Aiyuk, they need to put together an offer that will finally compel him to stay.

These are tense times for the 49ers. It's still not clear what the resolution will be, but what is clear is that it will have a huge impact on San Francisco's hopes of getting back to the Super Bowl in the 2024 season.

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