The Brandon Aiyuk saga seems far from being over.
There was another turn to the story on Tuesday night. The New England Patriots decided to no longer pursue Aiyuk, the San Francisco 49ers’ receiver seeking a trade, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. On Monday night, a report from NBC Sports Bay Area said the Patriots and Cleveland Browns had agreements on the framework of a deal for Aiyuk.
Apparently something changed Tuesday. Schefter said the Patriots are “excited about their young receivers and want to focus on them.”
The Patriots had five picks in the first four rounds of this year’s NFL Draft and used two on receivers, grabbing Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker.
The Patriots might be out, but earlier in the day Schefter reported that the Pittsburgh Steelers were back in. The Steelers “re-engaged” in trade talks with the 49ers on Tuesday, Schefter reported. The NBC Sports Bay Area report on Monday said the Steelers didn’t meet the 49ers’ asking price in a trade.
The report Monday said that the 49ers were waiting to see if the Browns or Patriots could come to a contract agreement with Aiyuk before finishing a deal. Aiyuk is slated to make $14.1 million on the final year of his rookie deal, and he is seeking a long-term extension. The 49ers haven’t signed Aiyuk to that extension, which is why he made a trade request in July.
The expectation seems to be that Aiyuk will still be dealt — Christian McCaffrey referred to him as a “former teammate” on an NFL Network interview Tuesday afternoon — but it hasn’t happened yet. And it is likely there is more drama to come.
