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The 2023/2024 NFL season starts next week, and Brandon Aiyuk has still not signed a contract extension. The San Francisco 49ers wide receiver has been linked with a move away from the franchise throughout the offseason, but no significant strides have been made toward finding a solution.
Teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns have shown interest in Aiyuk, but no one knows if the 26-year-old wideout will eventually depart from San Francisco.
Aiyuk reportedly rejected the chance to get traded to the Browns. Cleveland recently restructured Deshaun Watson's contract to create $62 million in cap space. Some speculated that Watson's contract was restructured to facilitate a move for Aiyuk, but ESPN's Adam Schefter has denied it. In an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, Schefter said:
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"On Thursday, August 1, I thought a trade to Cleveland was happening and was imminent, and then it didn't get done. So, the holdup with Cleveland all along hasn't been whether or not the Browns have cap space, the holdup there has been Brandon Aiyuk's willingness to accept a trade to Cleveland. The contract would have been done there if he wanted to go..."
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"Anything's possible here... there's never, never been a case as unpredictable as the one that has gone on this summer between the 49ers and Brandon Aiyuk."
Brandon Aiyuk has been medically cleared to play for the 49ers. The wide receiver will be subjected to heavy fines if he continues to miss time and doesn't play for the team. As Schefter said, the situation in San Francisco is not normal, and anything can happen before the start of the regular season.
Brandon Aiyuk trade: Should the star WR leave San Francisco?
The 49ers trading Brandon Aiyuk remains the most likely outcome of this whole saga. The reigning NFC Champions have a great roster, and in Kyle Shanahan's system, Aiyuk will continue to put up big numbers.
If he does end up leaving the 49ers, then the Pittsburgh Steelers make the most sense. There are obvious concerns about Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, but Aiyuk will be their clear-cut WR1, and the team could get a new quarterback next year.
When it comes to the Cleveland Browns, they have a similar problem as the Steelers, i.e., their quarterback. Brock Purdy might not be the best quarterback in his own division, but he gets the job done. Moreover, Aiyuk has had success with him in the last two seasons, as he has racked up 1,000 receiving yards in the last two seasons.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit the Pat McAfee Show and H/T Sportskeeda.
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