Trading Brandon Aiyuk Would be an Organizational Failure by the 49ers

Under no circumstance should the 49ers trade Brandon Aiyuk to the Steelers with the regular season less than a month away.

Sep 10, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) gestures at the line of scrimmage against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

A new update has been provided on the trade scenario between the San Francisco 49ers and the Pittsburgh Steelers around Brandon Aiyuk.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Steelers and 49ers have a deal on a potential trade. Aiyuk has no issue going to the Steelers as he has apparently received a contract he likes from them. It's now on the 49ers to pull the trigger unless Aiyuk wants to accept the extension currently offered by the 49ers.

Update on Brandon Aiyuk:
-- The Steelers and #49ers have a deal on a potential trade and PIT is in a good place on an Aiyuk contract, sources say. If SF gives the final sign-off, it's done.
-- SF has an offer out to Aiyuk on a long-term deal for him to stay. He hasn't accepted. pic.twitter.com/ZepVTfv4Nj

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 13, 2024

Basically, this isn't a groundbreaking update. This is more or less the same as it was last week. Really, it's all on the 49ers right now. They can either take what the Steelers are offering, which I'm sure is not fair value at all for them, up their offer to Aiyuk, or let him play out the final year of his deal.

The only real options here for the 49ers are the last two I mentioned. Under no circumstance should the 49ers trade Aiyuk to the Steelers with the regular season less than a month away. Trading Aiyuk at this stage would be an organizational failure by the 49ers.

It makes no sense to weaken the offense now with no real adequate or even a sufficient replacement. The time to trade Aiyuk was before or during the NFL draft. That is when the 49ers could've received a better trade package and figured out how to mitigate Aiyuk's loss.

But now, it's all too late. Even if the relationship is fractured, the 49ers still have to figure out a way to mend it or temporarily ease it for this year. Aiyuk may come into the facility with a sour attitude because he doesn't have a new deal, but he isn't going to sabotage the team and his value.

The best option for the 49ers is to increase their offer to Aiyuk so that they can pair him up with Brock Purdy for the foreseeable future. Extending players who are ascending and are always healthy is what every team strives to do, yet the 49ers are extremely reluctant.

In any case, the 49ers absolutely cannot trade Aiyuk. They will not receive anything in return that can help them return to the Super Bowl this year. All they will do is regress their offense back into what it was in 2019, except they actually have a quarterback who can deliver.

Trading Aiyuk will also place a heavier burden on Purdy, which is fair to question if he can do so without him this year. Keeping Aiyuk is the best option for the 49ers. They won't regret it if they retain him this season, but they heavily risk regretting it if they end up trading him.