Amari Cooper's teammate breaks silence on $100,000,000 WR's name being dragged into reported Brandon Aiyuk trade package
The Brandon Aiyuk trade saga has been rumbling on for just about a month now and it appears we are no closer to a resolution. After the San Francisco 49ers WR officially requested a trade in the middle of July, a few teams reportedly reached out to see if a deal was possible.
The New England Patriots and the Cleveland Browns were among those interested in the 26-year-old wide receiver who's in the final year of his rookie deal. Per multiple reports, the Browns offered Amari Cooper plus draft picks to facilitate a trade for Aiyuk. However, the Niners WR reportedly turned that deal down. Cooper also took notice of the rumor of being shopped going viral, appearing to reference the rumor in an Instagram story saying:
"Lol, I wouldn't mind at all."
This week, Cooper's teammate Elijah Moore gave a glimpse into how his teammate handled the fact that his name was dragged into the Aiyuk trade saga. Cooper told reporters:
“At the end of the day we can’t control none of that. He’s somebody who doesn’t get too into that stuff anyway. You gotta take it day by day and that’s exactly what he did."
Cooper signed a $100 million extension with the Dallas Cowboys in 2020. However, the Browns traded for the WR two years into that deal and reportedly gave him a $5 million raise this year.
Latest on the Brandon Aiyuk trade rumors
As things stand, there are only two ways this ends - either the Niners agree a long-term extension with Aiyuk and retain him for another run at the Super Bowl or Aiyuk gets traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he'll play in a new offense with Russell Wilson under Arthur Smith's tutelage.
Last week, Aiyuk wrote under an Instagram post:
"Niners be in the media every day lol. It's two options out there, pick one and stop dropping reports. Simple."
The last we heard of any developments on Aiyuk was over the weekend. Per multiple reports, the Steelers have an offer in place, but the Niners are still hoping they can get a long-term extension done.
It's important to note that Aiyuk is coming off a season where he was named a second-team All-Pro after racking up 1,342 receiving yards in 16 games (his career best). So far, there have been no reports on the Niners potentially getting a WR back. If they don't, the Niners will have to rely heavily on Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle.
Rookie Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings, Jacob Cowing, Dannie Gray, Ronnie Bell and Tay Martin are the other WRs on the 49ers' depth chart.