Christian McCaffrey may have just accidentally revealed Brandon Aiyuk's fate

Was it a slip of the tongue, or does Christian McCaffrey know something we all don't with regard to Brandon Aiyuk?

As rumors and speculation continue to swirl at a whirlwind pace around San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and his immediate future, another star on the Niners roster might have accidentally slipped the inevitable.

Aiyuk has been the hot topic of trade talks between San Francisco, the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns over the last 24-plus hours. While no deal is imminent, and even head coach Kyle Shanahan reinforced the possibility of Aiyuk staying put, it appears as if a trade could be made official at any moment.

And All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey might have leaked the future.

Christian McCaffrey accidentally calls Brandon Aiyuk a 'former teammate'

McCaffrey, who is currently dealing with a calf strain and sat out 49ers training camp on Tuesday, met with NFL Network's Inside Training Camp Live from outside Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

When asked about the Aiyuk situation, McCaffrey's response was, well... telling.

"That's not part of my job," McCaffrey said around the 4:50 mark of the above video. "It's not part of my position. Obviously, as a former teammate, or teammate of his in general, any teammate you have, you love and respect them. You want the best for them. As far as the business side of this game goes, it's always difficult. So, I stay out of it completely."

Granted, McCaffrey quickly corrected his statement, which is just as good an indicator that he slipped purely on accident without any knowledge or intent of Aiyuk's future.

But, it'll only fuel what has become quite the speculative past few hours.

There's another thing to consider, though. While McCaffrey is unquestionably one of the Niners' top stars, he likely wouldn't have that kind of insight on Aiyuk's immediate future. Typically, front offices don't reveal trades and player transactions to the rest of the team until such things are made official.

In short, how would McCaffrey know before the rest of the NFL world knows?

It's not likely. Yet it's still provocative.

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