Andrew Fillipponi, a reporter for 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh, made waves when he reported that a trade between the San Francisco 49ers and the Steelers for wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk was essentially a done deal.
Aiyuk remains with the 49ers two weeks later, waiting to see if a contract extension can be finalized or if he will be traded if negotiations break down. San Francisco recently resumed contract talks with Aiyuk and reportedly presented an improved offer. Meanwhile, the Steelers, awaiting the outcome, have also extended a contract offer to the receiver.
Meanwhile, Fillipponi admitted he's feeling "not great" about his initial report.
"It's the first time in my entire life doing this where I had two people, one in the front office, one in ownership, tell me that a deal was done, and then a deal didn't happen," Fillipponi said Tuesday morning on Bay Area radio station 95.7 The Game. "And I think, on the Steelers end, they thought they had a deal. And for whatever reason, I've got a couple theories on that, it hasn't come to fruition, it hasn't come to pass yet.
"But it's interesting. I put that out there and said it was a done deal, and obviously it has not been a done deal because Aiyuk is still in San Francisco and the Steelers still have a massive hole at wide receiver. But the way it started to get reported after I said that, we had ESPN and NFL Network both say that a deal is in place. So it's the first time I've ever seen it, and so many other national reporters said the same thing.
"They've never seen a player saga go this route, where two teams think they have a trade but the trade hasn't happened yet, even though the deal is in place in terms of trade compensation, and seemingly, the contract parameters of a deal for Aiyuk between him and his dealers have been in place for a long time."
Fillipponi also mentioned that Steelers fans, much like some 49ers fans, are growing frustrated with the ongoing drama surrounding Aiyuk. However, he believes all would be forgiven in Pittsburgh if a trade were finalized.
Reports suggest Aiyuk prefers to stay in Santa Clara with the team that made him the No. 25 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. NFL Network's Mike Garafolo recently reported that a deal between Aiyuk and the 49ers is close, with only a minor disagreement over the fourth and final year of the contract causing a delay.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported that the Steelers' offer to Aiyuk would have paid him an average of less than $28 million annually, in the same ballpark as San Francisco's offer. While Fillipponi respects Breer, he hears differently. He believes the Steelers offered Aiyuk a deal worth between $28 million and $29 million per year.
"I heard $28.5 million is the number that I heard two weeks ago," Fillipponi added. "That's what they were offering him—four years, $28.5 [million] per year. And that's way less than New England."
Aiyuk reportedly turned down offers from the Patriots and Cleveland Browns—two teams with whom the 49ers had trade frameworks in place—likely because he didn't want to play for those organizations.
When asked how he thinks the situation will eventually unfold, Fillipponi still believes a trade will happen.
"I think September 7, he gets traded to the Steelers," Fillipponi declared. "I think the day before the season starts, he ends up on the Steelers for a second and third-round pick. That's my prediction."
