Compensation revealed for Pittsburgh Steelers to acquire star player
Brandon Aiyuk’s potential signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers has been the most hotly debated topic this offseason.
The disgruntled wide receiver unfollowed the San Francisco 49ers on social media this week, indicating that negotiations for a long-term contract are not going well.
For a player, deleting their association with a team is analogous to changing their relationship status to single and removing all photo evidence of their significant other, which frequently leads to a breakup.
That could happen at any time, whether on draft day or immediately afterwards. Mandatory minicamp does not begin until June, but the Steelers and their fans are hoping that the courtship does not last too long.
What would Pittsburgh have to give up to acquire a player of Aiyuk’s caliber?
“I think what would be more likely is the Steelers giving up a future No. 2 choice and also swapping first-round picks,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac wrote in his April 17 Q&A.
It may sound like a lot, but the Steelers require a top-tier veteran after trading their own in a March deal with the Carolina Panthers. It’s not impossible that Pittsburgh will use a first or second-round pick in the NFL draft to select a receiver, so trading or giving up one for a proven player is worthwhile. A rookie is an unknown quantity outside of college-level performance.
If the transaction fails, the next step is to determine what happens.
An ideal scenario would see San Francisco cover some (or all) of Aiyuk’s remaining $14 million bill. Although Pittsburgh does not need to extend him this offseason, it is likely that they will. According to Spotrac, Aiyuk has a market value of $24.9 million, which appears to be the low end of the final figure.
At 26, Aiyuk hasn’t even reached his prime, and he’s put up insane numbers (2,357 yards, 15 touchdowns) over the last two seasons. He’ll be available for a contract or two.
Aiyuk is worth it, even if not for the San Francisco 49ers.