Steelers GM breaks silence on trade rumors as Brandon Aiyuk links take center stage

The Brandon Aiyuk trade rumors have been going on for weeks. And the most notable place if he ends up departing from the San Franciso 49ers has been the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh general manager Omar Khan talked about the trade link.

On "The Pat McAfee Show" on Tuesday, when Khan was inevitably asked about Aiyuk trade possibilities, he said:

“You know what, I heard about those wide receiver rumors. I didn't exactly see it. But, you know, there's nothing going on right now, so I'm not exactly sure what the verbiage was reported, but that's nothing to report.”

Aiyuk, drafted by the Niners in the first round in 2020, has entered the final year of his rookie contract worth $12.5 million (an additional $6.6 million as a signing bonus). San Francisco hasn't yet tied him down to a new long-term deal, and the rumor mill has been churning out the possibility of Aiyuk heading to the Steelers.

The Niners drafted two wide receivers, including first-rounder Ricky Pearsall from the Florida Gators, and signed an undrafted free-agent WR last week. The moves fueled the fire for the latest trade rumors regarding the 26-year-old Aiyuk.

Brandon Aiyuk's contract with the 49ers could still come through

According to multiple reports, the Steelers still want to nail down a long-term contract with the Arizona State graduate Brandon Aiyuk.

However, Niners GM John Lynch alluded to the fact that the talks between the parties are heading in the right direction.

"We're working through that. ... I can say we're having good talks, and I'm just going to leave it at that," Lynch said on April 22.

However, their roster is filled to the brim with wide receivers, and negotiations could break down.