NFL Fans React To Brandon Aiyuk Trade That Nearly Happened

After all of the speculation and intrigue, Brandon Aiyuk is set to be a San Francisco 49er for the next five seasons. The Niners and Aiyuk agreed on a four-year, $120 million extension on Thursday, locking him in through 2028. The news broke the hearts of Steelers fans who had hoped for weeks that they could land the second-team All-Pro in a trade.

As it turns out, a three-team deal involving Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Denver was on the table at one point, but the Broncos turned it down. The Athletic's Dianna Russini first reported the news, mentioning that the deal would have included Broncos wide receiver Courland Sutton, and Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer broke down the additional details. The 49ers only were willing to trade Brandon Aiyuk if they could get a top-flight WR to replace him.



They offered a third-round pick to Denver for Courtland Sutton, and then would’ve dealt Aiyuk to the Steelers, but the Broncos declined the offer. So, he stays in SF. "This scenario, as I understand it, would've had the 49ers landing 2nd- and 3rd-round picks from Pittsburgh for Brandon Aiyuk, flipping the 3 to Denver," Breer tweeted .

"The Steelers didn't want to part with a player for Aiyuk. All's well that ends well—Keeping Aiyuk was always SF's preference." News of the reported trade drew immediate feedback from fans on social media.

Justin K. Aller/Getty Images "Pittsburgh didn’t try very hard it seems," one person said. "Not a good return for trading a $120 million dollar WR," a Raiders fan added.

"Looks like the offer on the table was a 2nd & a 3rd and nothing more. SF couldn’t find a separate trade for a WR, resulting in no trade. That would have been an absolute steal for PIT btw.

..damn.

#HereWeGo #Steelers ," said Chat Sports' Jack Sperry. "Hindsight is 20/20, and Omar Khan has a very hard job, but man, I’d rather have Brandon Aiyuk than Donte Jackson. Would’ve been handy to still have Diontae Johnson around this summer," another Steelers fan added.

"Double F--- You, Broncos," said a third Steelers fan. What might have been. Related: The Spun's Most Annoying People In Football Media: Elite Eight.