A sketchy rumor surfaced on Sunday morning, alleging that San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk had requested a trade.
BREAKING:
Brandon Aiyuk has officially requested a trade from the 49ers, per confirmation from my San Francisco source.
Benjamin Allbright & 49ersSportsTalk have also done some preliminary reporting on this story.
As of Sunday morning, April 14, the Steelers have been the… pic.twitter.com/plCkQo87lj
— John Frascella (Football) (@LegendSports7) April 14, 2024
Aiyuk's agent, Ryan Williams, promptly refuted the rumor, telling the reporter, "You need better sources."
Brandon Aiyuk's agent denies his client has requested a trade from the #49ers. https://t.co/8iDq7ubKyT
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) April 14, 2024
This incident serves as a reminder not to trust everything one encounters on social media.
While trade speculations have circulated regarding Aiyuk, the 49ers have dismissed any interest in trading him. Instead, the team emphasizes its commitment to securing a contract extension for Aiyuk.
Aiyuk is currently signed through the upcoming season. He is scheduled to earn $14.124 million on a team-exercised fifth-year option. The 49ers hope to sign their star receiver to a new deal before he retakes the football field.
On Saturday, NFL insider Benjamin Allbright reported that the Pittsburgh Steelers were exploring the possibility of adding Aiyuk as an additional weapon for quarterback Russell Wilson. It wasn't the first time the Steelers have been linked to the 49ers receiver. General manager John Lynch had previously refuted a similar report.
"There's a number of different directions that it could go, but we appreciate the heck out of Brandon and who he is as a player," Lynch said last month. "We want him to be a part of the Niners, so we're going to work towards making that a reality."