What's Holding Up Steelers-Niners Aiyuk Trade? Insider Reveals

While the Pittsburgh Steelers are set to kick off their preseason against the Houston Texans on Friday , the biggest news surrounding the team over the past 48 hours has been the possible trade for San Francisco 49ers star receiver Brandon Aiyuk .

Will the Steelers finally complete the trade and pair Aiyuk with George Pickens? That is the question everyone is asking. And according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac, fans aren't alone, as the Steelers are reportedly waiting for an answer from the Niners about the potential trade.

"The Steelers are waiting to hear from the 49ers if a deal for Brandon Aiyuk is going to happen," Dulac writes . "Several factors could be involved, and one of them is the 49ers would like a WR to replace Aiyuk. But the Steelers are not using any of their players as part of the trade."

The Niners' reported desire to get a receiver in return for Aiyuk isn't out of left field. According to a report from ESPN's Jeff Darlington , the Steelers' rival, the Cleveland Browns, were offering up Amari Cooper as part of their trade package.

There may be an argument about whether this would be a sensible move for the Browns, as they'd give up their current best receiver in essentially a swap. It does beg the question of what the Niners would want in return from Pittsburgh.

It seems safe to say that the inclusion of Pickens is completely off the table. Even with the previous report about the Steelers' frustrations with Pickens, trading for Aiyuk would defeat the purpose of the deal: acquiring a second star receiver.

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Outside of Pickens, Roman Wilson is the only potentially valuable receiver that could interest the Niners. However, given that he is a rookie, it seems unlikely that the Steelers would be so quick to offload him.

This makes the potential trade for Aiyuk all the more interesting. If the Niners insist on receiving a playmaker in return, then the Steelers may lose out on the 26-year-old. But if they are willing to accept a significant sum of draft picks, the Steelers could be the favorites to land him.