If Steelers offer only picks and no players to 49ers for Brandon Aiyuk, 'the deal is dead'

According to some reports out of Pittsburgh on Wednesday afternoon, a long-discussed trade that would send San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk to the Steelers was practically a done deal.

John Lund of KNBR in San Francisco says that’s not the case, because the Steelers are only offering draft picks to get Aiyuk and the 49ers want at least some compensation in the form of active players off the Steelers roster.

“They are desperate to win a Super Bowl,” Lund told me Wednesday on 105.9 The X. “They wouldn’t want just draft picks in return. They want a player. They want a (Pat) Freiermuth or whatever it is that the Steelers could give up. They want a player and picks. From what I’ve heard, the Steelers have only (offered) picks. … If there are no players involved, I think from a 49ers perspective, the deal is dead.”

The fact that the 49ers may want Freiermuth is interesting since they already have five-time Pro Bowler George Kittle at the tight end position. But Lund says that ask actually makes sense.

“George Kittle has a lot of tread on the tires that he has used up,” Lund explained. “He plays hard. He gets hurt. His contract is going to be up (after 2025), and the 49ers can’t afford everybody. I think they would like a younger option.​​ They would also like a backup because Kittle gets hurt a lot, and that frustrates the 49ers. So they would look at (a) tight end.”

To a certain extent, though, Freiermuth is in a similar situation to Aiyuk. He is also entering the final year of his contract and may need an extension before he is traded to make any deal worthwhile.

Furthermore, while the Steelers may be addressing a glaring need at receiver by acquiring Aiyuk, they’d be creating a different one at tight end by dealing Freiermuth. In a new Steelers offense that leans on multiple tight end sets under Arthur Smith, I’d hardly consider Connor Heyward and Darnell Washington established starting-capable replacements for Freiermuth.

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So, if it’s not Freiermuth, who goes west in exchange for Aiyuk?

“Minkah Fitzpatrick’s name has been brought up,” Lund said. “There’s no way (the Steelers) are going to move Minkah Fitzpatrick in a deal. I’ve heard (Nick) Herbig’s name, the outside linebacker. I think they like him. But I don’t know if that is somebody the Steelers would like to involve in a deal.”

Herbig is young, promising and cheap. But what about the guy who starts in front of Herbig? That’s Alex Highsmith. I asked Lund if that is someone San Francisco may want.

“Highsmith is a guy they would have a ton of interest in,” Lund said. “A pass rusher opposite of Nick Bosa is something that they have needed. They got Leonard Floyd for two years, but they’d certainly like to upgrade.”

Here’s a rumored package I heard before speaking with Lund. Hypothetically, the Steelers would give up two second-round picks, a receiver (perhaps Calvin Austin III), and either tackle Dan Moore or guard James Daniels.

“I haven’t heard those names, but those guys fit what the 49ers do,” Lund said of the two offensive linemen. “Other than Trent Williams, they don’t give big contracts to offensive linemen. They feel like they can find them in free agency or the draft.”

Regardless of who may be going back to San Francisco, Lund says any rumored deal between the teams is far from done.

“My understanding is (the money for Aiyuk’s contract extension) doesn’t seem to be the problem. The problem seems to be the compensation going back to the 49ers,” Lund said. “Anybody who has said there is a deal done and they are ‘dotting I’s and crossing T’s,’ that’s not what I heard. That deal is not done. The 49ers want a player or two.”

Also, in the interview, Lund and I discuss why Aiyuk wants to come to Pittsburgh instead of Cleveland or New England; Aiyuk’s ceiling outside of San Francisco’s offensive system; and why contract talks with the Niners went downhill in the first place.