Insider Drops Bombshell Update on 49ers-Brandon Aiyuk Situation

It was reported Tuesday morning that the San Francisco 49ers had a deal in place that would send receiver Brandon Aiyuk to the Pittsburgh Steelers but they hadn’t pulled the trigger.

NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Tuesday evening that the 49ers’ hesitancy is because they’re on the doorstep of agreeing to terms on a new contract with Aiyuk, and staying in San Francisco is what the star receiver has wanted all along.

“What I’ve been told is that Brandon Aiyuk would prefer to stay with the 49ers, and has always preferred to stay with the 49ers, all things being equal,” Garafolo said . “… Both sides sent proposals within the last, I don’t know, couple days, week or so, and the 49ers’ number has gotten better than what it was previously. From my understanding, they’ve agreed on a lot of the main points of the deal.

“Their offers are in line but it sounds like there’s just one more thing that needs to be ironed out, and if that thing gets ironed out, Brandon Aiyuk signs the deal and he stays with the 49ers, he drops the trade request and finally he can put this situation behind him. … As far as Aiyuk is concerned, it sounds like the ball is in the 49ers’ court and he’s hoping that they can just make the final adjustment to get this thing done and he can stay with the Niners.”

The 49ers previously offered Aiyuk a contract worth $26 million per season but he rejected it in hopes of getting closer to the $30M-per-year range he was seeking.

Aiyuk’s personal wide receivers coach T.J. Houshmandzadeh hinted that Aiyuk would sign with the 49ers for $28M per year, and it seems like that could be the number the two sides end up settling on to keep the All-Pro wideout in the Bay Area.