Insider reveals ploy 49ers used to play hardball with WR Brandon Aiyuk

San Francisco 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk was nearly a Pittsburgh Steeler.

Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer reported on Sunday that San Francisco was on the phone about to trade Aiyuk to the Steelers when the 26-year-old wideout had a change of heart after being given an ultimatum and accepted the team’s four-year, $120M contract offer.

But it turns out the sign-or-be-traded ultimatum the 49ers gave Aiyuk wasn’t the only tactic they used to bring an end to his hold-in, as ESPN insider Adam Schefter revealed during his appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Monday.

“Do you know that Brandon Aiyuk got the five-day letter in the middle of August that he had to practice or he wouldn’t play this year?” Schefter asked . “You get a five-day letter, it means you better get back to practice or the team has the right to place you on the list and you lose the year. That happened too.”

Though he reported for training camp with the rest of his teammates, Aiyuk never participated in any on-field drills, practices or preseason games.

It was evident the 49ers were at the end of their rope with his antics, and their strategy to expedite his making a decision ultimately worked.

Aiyuk will play in San Francisco's season opener against the New York Jets on "Monday Night Football," though head coach Kyle Shanahan said he won't have the same workload he typically does.

The $30M-per-year contract extension Aiyuk ended up signing was one he reportedly had for weeks but didn’t accept.

One has to believe the former first-round pick was hoping the 49ers would come up and get closer to matching the $32M-plus salary the New England Patriots had offered him.

The fact that Aiyuk caved and accepted their final contract offer instead of going to Pittsburgh is a clear win for the 49ers in an offseason where they haven't had many.