Long after chatter of a would-be Brandon Aiyuk trade to the Steelers dissipated, Mike Florio is attempting to reignite the smoking rumors.
Rumors about the San Francisco 49ers trading wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk seem to follow their own weather patterns.
Those patterns have been cold for some time now, especially since April 1 when his roster bonus for 2025 became guaranteed. But before, rumor patters grew their hottest since hotly contested trade talks paralleled his tense extension talks the offseason prior. Amid the Niners' efforts to curb spending, offloading Aiyuk's contract seemed high on the list of San Francisco's priorities.
No trade materialized prior to Aiyuk's extension, although the Pittsburgh Steelers were reportedly a hot destination. And no trade took place before April 1 either, all but indicating the 2020 first-round draftee would remain in the Bay Area even after suffering a season-ending ACL and MCL tear in 2024.
So, trade chatter should be dormant, right? We're in the cold season on this front.
Except Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio isn't having it.
Mike Florio attempts to reignite Brandon Aiyuk trade rumors
No stranger to strong takes and opinions (remember, he once said Brock Purdy wouldn't be a good quarterback because his name rhymed with "turdy), Florio appeared on Pittsburgh's 93.7 The Fan to talk about the aftermath of the Steelers' notable trade of wide receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys.
In the conversation, Florio said San Francisco would still love to get out from under Aiyuk's contract, which might be true. And, to his credit, at least the NBC Sports host acknowledged the window to execute such a deal was pretty much closed.
You can listen to the full radio appearance below:
Pittsburgh wouldn't want to take on the guaranteed money as part of the trade chatter anyway. Nor would it want to take a flier on a player returning from serious injury at that cost.
Still, Florio is beating the drum on otherwise dormant Aiyuk trade rumors, which have grown oh-so stale since April 1.