Well, it’s over.

Officially.

Finally.

Where Brandon Aiyuk will play in 2024 is no longer a secret with the receiver and the team who drafted him, the San Francisco 49ers, coming to terms on a 4-year contract extension worth $120 million dollars.

Sources to me and @RapSheet: The #49ers and WR Brandon Aiyuk have agreed on a four-year, $120 million contract extension with $76 million in guarantees.

Hold-in over. Trade request withdrawn. Aiyuk’s agent @RyanWilliamsA1 and the Niners strike a deal to keep him in Santa Clara. pic.twitter.com/DZdjMJBGkw

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 29, 2024

For 49ers fans, they have to be happy to get one of their best weapons back on the field, especially after the trials and tribulations he put the organization, and fan base, through this past offseason. I’m sure there are many who aren’t fond of the asking price, considering Trent Williams is still holding out and Brock Purdy will be getting a new contract next season, but Aiyuk keeps the 49ers as Super Bowl contenders. At least on paper.

But what happened with the Steelers? There were numerous reports and rumors suggesting a deal was all but done for Aiyuk to don the black-and-gold in 2024 and beyond.

What was the hold up?

According to Dianna Russini, the 49ers wanted a wide receiver back in the deal. The Steelers weren’t willing to trade a player, only picks, so they wanted a 3rd team to get involved to complete the trade. The 49ers were reportedly wanting to send a 3rd Round pick they’d receive from the Steelers to the Denver Broncos for Courtland Sutton, but the Broncos weren’t interested.

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.

— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) August 29, 2024

Regardless of the hold up, the trade never happened. And according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Steelers weren’t surprised at all he stay in San Francisco. In fact, he says it was expected.

Steelers not surprised 49ers re-signed Brandon Aiyuk. It’s what they expected all along.

— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) August 29, 2024

Those expectations were also echoed to me from our source here at Steel Curtain Network, and was a reason we said almost a month ago the Steelers were out on the Aiyuk trade. Nonetheless, many held out hope a deal would get done. Those same people are now scratching their heads wondering, “What now?”

For the Steelers they now stare at the following depth chart:

WR1: George Pickens
WR2: Van Jefferson
WR3: Calvin Austin III / Roman Wilson / Scotty Miller

Not really a star-studded cast after Pickens, but it’s what the Steelers have heading into the 2024 regular season. Will it be good enough, or will the team try to acquire someone else before the start of the regular season?

The team is running out of time, and if Omar Khan put all his eggs into the Aiyuk basket, he now finds himself without any eggs and very little time to acquire any more. Even the batch of receivers who were released from other teams has since found new homes, and the Steelers fan base feels as if they are left twiddling their thumbs while everyone else is making moves.

For a receiver like Noah Brown, who was released by the Houston Texans and signed to the Washington Commanders practice squad, the Steelers could sign him from Washington’s practice squad, but they would have to move him to the active roster immediately. Moves like this are still viable options, but is trading for a player?

A lot of Steelers fans point to the team’s rule with negotiating with players once the season starts and thinks that is the same with any outside talent. You only need to go back to 2019 to know that isn’t the case.

That was the season the Steelers traded a 1st Round pick to the Miami Dolphins for Minkah Fitzpatrick. They did so after the Week 2 loss at home to the Seattle Seahawks, where Ben Roethlisberger was lost for the year at halftime, and Fitzpatrick accompanied the team to San Francisco in Week 3 to play the 49ers, a game he had an interception, a forced fumble and five combined tackles.

Those trades are rare, but not out of the realm of possibility.

For many, the sad truth is the Steelers could believe in what they have on the roster way more than any fan does at this time. Therefore, they might not do anything. They could believe Pat Freiermuth, Van Jefferson and George Pickens will be the weapons through the air they need to move the ball. They might believe someone like Roman Wilson can be the productive player they need at multiple positions at receiver.

We, the fans, will find out soon enough if Aiyuk was their best-case, or only, scenario. Until then, fans will be wondering what the plan was after months of rumors, reports and debates. All for Aiyuk to simply stay put in San Francisco.