When the 49ers and receiver Brandon Aiyuk worked out a new deal, the 49ers were in the process of finalizing a trade. To the Steelers.
That’s the word from Jay Glazer of Fox, who reports that Aiyuk showed up at the team’s facility while the 49ers were trying to get the deal done. Coach Kyle Shanahan, per Glazer, couldn’t get in touch with the front office by phone. So he sprinted up the steps to pull the plug on trade talks.
A couple of hours later, the 49ers and Aiyuk had a deal.
Of course, a trade wouldn’t have been done until both teams had separately communicated the terms to the league office. But, still, Aiyuk had a change of heart just as the 49ers were ready to give him what he supposedly wanted.
It’s unclear why Aiyuk decided to stay (especially with the 13.3 percent tax rate in California), but he did. It’s also unclear whether the Steelers offered him as much, more, or less than what the 49ers paid.
