Nick Wright stunned by how 49ers appear to have "botched" Brandon Aiyuk negotiations amid Steelers rumors - "Disaster of process"
On Wednesday, Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan reported that the Pittsburgh Steelers have a verbal agreement with the San Francisco 49ers to land Brandon Aiyuk. The AFC North team re-engaged in trade talks with the NFC giants on Tuesday. Fox Sports analyst Nick Wright is shocked by how the 49ers have handled the contract negotiations with Aiyuk.
Speaking on FS1's 'First Things First,' Wright said that the 49ers have failed to get a notable compensation for a player of Aiyuk's caliber. He highlighted the Steelers' offer of a first-round pick before the draft, which the 49ers later rejected.
Wright believes the 49ers could've gotten a much better return for Aiyuk earlier. But the team waited all this while, only to potentially trade the WR to the team of his interest.
"He was their deep threat. He was Purdy's favorite target. And I am shocked at how badly they appear to have botched this, because they're not going to get a first round pick. And whatever pick they get is not going to be on the team this year, because the draft is not until after this year."
Wright continued, explaining that Brandon Aiyuk has not been subtle and has given many hints about which team he would like to join. The Fox Sports analyst went on to critique the 49ers' approach in these negotiations.
"To go down that road and then in the last minute, be like, 'All right, never mind. We'll trade you, and we'll actually trade you to the place you wanted, and probably not get the type of return we could have gotten months ago, or maybe even the best return we could have gotten in this trade market.'... For a team that's SBOB [Super Bowl or Bust]... it's a disaster of process, and it's a disaster of a squandered asset with no return for this upcoming season."
Report reveals 49ers' asking price from Steelers for Brandon Aiyuk
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been long-rumored as the potential destination for Brandon Aiyuk. With the wide receiver rejecting the New England Patriots' $30,000,000 offer and the Cleveland Browns, the Steelers are the front runners.
According to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, there has been no verbal agreement between the Steelers and the 49ers on a potential Brandon Aiyuk trade. Dulac reported that the AFC North team would not be giving up a player in a possible deal.
Jim Wexell of Steel City Insider reported that the San Francisco 49ers are seeking two first-round draft picks from the Steelers for Aiyuk.