Insider shares theory about 49ers letting Brandon Aiyuk explore a trade

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk continues to be heavily linked with the Pittsburgh Steelers after it was learned earlier this week that he was granted permission to speak with multiple teams about a possible trade.

For a mailbag published on Thursday, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated suggested that the 49ers may hope the Steelers help set Aiyuk's market as the 26-year-old remains in the final year of his rookie contract.

"Let’s say the Steelers' offer is, hypothetically, right around $28M per year (a number I heard earlier in the week)," Breer explained. "Is that enough to get Aiyuk to go there? Or could that provide the framework for a deal with the Niners? To me, that’s the benefit of taking this route if you’re San Francisco. One way or the other, you’re driving toward a conclusion and giving yourself another shot at keeping him. Which is what Plan A always was for the Niners."

In July, Hall of Famer Jerry Rice mentioned that Aiyuk should want to feature for the 49ers in a contract year to maximize his future earnings. Learning that the Steelers may not be willing to give him the exact extension he wants could result in Aiyuk following Rice's advice.

Then again, 49ers insider Tim Kawakami of The Athletic noted this week that San Francisco can structure an Aiyuk extension to allow the club to hold onto other stars and still pay quarterback Brock Purdy as soon as next offseason. San Francisco essentially matching Pittsburgh's offer could be enough to convince Aiyuk to stay with a team that seems likely to pursue a second straight trip to the Super Bowl through this coming January.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Wednesday that the 49ers "are not in a rush to make a move" regarding Aiyuk's status, and Aiyuk hasn't yet publicly threatened to sit regular-season games out if San Francisco doesn't lock him down beyond 2024 via an extension. Meanwhile, this week, there's been no indication that the Steelers will make the Niners a so-called "Godfather offer" to land Aiyuk.

In short, Aiyuk and the 49ers could use the Steelers with different goals ahead of September.