Making sense of the conflicting Brandon Aiyuk trade rumors

What on earth is happening between Brandon Aiyuk and the San Francisco 49ers brass? Monday morning hit, and all of the sudden, trade rumors broke out again like wildfire.

On Monday afternoon, it was reported that Aiyuk had actually been traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

NFL Draft Buzz's Cam Marino was first to break the news, posting on his social media: "BREAKING: The Steelers and 49ers have agreed to a trade that sends star receiver Brandon Aiyuk to Pittsburgh."

But then, we started to see other reports which downplayed and even negated Marino's report. Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz shot down the report from Marino just a few minutes after social media went crazy.

After the whirlwind on social media, it appears Aiyuk had not been traded as of 6 p.m. ET Monday night.

But, why are there so many conflicting rumors and reports coming out? And why now?

There could be an intentional smokescreen coming from Brandon Aiyuk's camp

Think about the facts, for just a minute. The 49ers begin their preseason on Saturday. They're in the thick of training camp. In a couple days' time, the team will have been in the middle of game prep. Even though it's preseason, the team is going through preparation for Saturday's contest with the Tennessee Titans as though it's the real thing.

That's what the preseason is all about; getting reps and prepping for what's to come.

What good is a contract dispute for both Aiyuk and the Niners as an organization?

In short: no good at all.

This is just a hunch, but the initial reports coming out about a trade being finalized could have come by way of a smokescreen from Aiyuk's corner in effort to pressure the 49ers into getting a new deal done, and getting it done as soon as humanly possible.

Aiyuk likely doesn't want to be traded, when all is said and done. He knows his best chance to win a Super Bowl is either in San Francisco or Kansas City, and there is zero chance the Niners trade him to the Chiefs.

Therefore, all of the conflicting rumors very well could be coming from Aiyuk's camp, whether it be a friend, his agent, or other sources close to him. This is all in effort for a final decision to be made, and for it to come before live football takes place.