Brandon Aiyuk Trade Speculation Heats Up After Reporter's Viral Tweet

For months, all eyes have been on the San Francisco 49ers and the future of wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Currently set to play on a fifth-year club option for $14.1 million in 2024, the former first-rounder formally requested a trade on July 16 . That notion was quickly shot down by ESPN's Adam Schefter the next day.

"The 49ers do not want to and do not intend to trade Brandon Aiyuk," Schefter said on "NFL Live."

Fast forward to Friday, August 2 when beat reporter Grant Cohn posted on X, "No sign of Brandon Aiyuk at today's practice." The tweet reached over 275,000 people in its first hour and had Aiyuk's name trending on social media.

Among those most excited by the development were fans of the Steelers and Patriots, two of Aiyuk's most frequently linked landing spots.

In a somewhat sarcastic post-practice recap video, Cohn did acknowledge, "I don't know what (his absence) means. ... My real take is that I don't think anyone knows what's going to happen."

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan also told reporters after practice that there was no update on Aiyuk's situation despite the ongoing hold-in.

Shanahan also addressed a question about the trending video from July 31 where he and John Lynch were seen embracing Aiyuk on the practice field.

"It's usually how we greet each other. Bro hug. Nothing more, nothing less," Shanahan said .

Whether it's an extension with the 49ers or a trade to a new team, Spotrac projects Aiyuk's next contract value to come in around $26.2 million annually. That would slot him ninth among active wide receivers, behind the likes of Cooper Kupp ($26.7M), DJ Moore ($27.5M) and Davante Adams ($28.0M).