It appears that a deal between Brandon Aiyuk and the 49ers is imminent, but it’s not.
Aiyuk has asked to be traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are prepared to grant him the contract extension he desires, in order to hold out for one. However, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated claims that, when compared on paper, the 49ers’ offer and the Steelers’ offer are about equal.
“The Steelers’ price point was less than $28 million, which put Pittsburgh right in the neighbourhood the Niners were inhabiting—with Mike Tomlin’s presence there the drawing card,” Breer states. “That, in turn, pushed Aiyuk back to the table with the Niners.”
Breer suggests that the 49ers have made an offer of about $27 million per season, if the Steelers had offered Aiyuk about $27.5 million per season. The 49ers are unable to seal the deal, so why?
It’s crucial to keep in mind that living expenses and the state income tax in California are significantly higher than in Pennsylvania. Therefore, Aiyuk would still be better off financially playing for the Steelers even if the 49ers were to pay him the exact same salary that Pittsburgh has offered.
Which implies that the 49ers would need to give Aiyuk about $31 million a season in order to really match the Steelers’ offer. And I’m very sure they won’t do that.
Rather, we’ll be told that they’re “close” to matching Pittsburgh’s offer, which they obviously aren’t, and that the two sides are “close” to concluding a deal.
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