Why Brandon Aiyuk Will Continue to be Linked to Trade Scenarios

Get used to Brandon Aiyuk constantly being linked to trade scenarios this offseason. They aren't going away anytime soon. Here is why.

Trade scenarios are starting to ramp up involving All-Pro receiver Brandon Aiyuk.

First it was "rumors" to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and now it is the Pittsburgh Steelers are showing "interest" in the rising star receiver. The San Francisco 49ers have a crucial decision to make on Aiyuk.

He is entering the final year of his rookie deal, which makes him due for a contract extension. The 49ers can either continue their streak of extending their homegrown excellent players, they can go the DeForest Buckner route by trading him, or let him play out his final year.

Whatever decision that will be made, it won't become clear anytime soon. That is because the 49ers do not extend players until July or August. It is a weird standard they uphold that doesn't prove to give them any significant impact. Extending Aiyuk now or shortly once free agency really dies down would make sense.

But because the 49ers draw this out all the time, Aiyuk will continue to be linked to trade scenarios. They can easily put an end to the constant trade rumors and reports by simply extending him soon. If they know they want him back, then it makes no sense to wait another four-to-five months from now.

However, they love to make their players who are due for an extension wait. As a result, they must live with the trade chatter until it occurs, especially since they have proven capable of trading away a star player due for an extension before. This is the 49ers' own doing. 

Of course, they could always break their protocol of extending a player until late, but would the 49ers like to break their standard like that? If they didn't for Nick Bosa last year, then they definitely won't for Aiyuk this year. 

Get used to all of these trade scenarios with Aiyuk. The 49ers are the ones who created this situation by making extensions a moot point until close to training camp.