49ers News: Brandon Aiyuk almost joined the Steelers before contract extension

To say that the San Francisco 49ers made a last-minute signing of Brandon Aiyuk might be the understatement of the year. During the Fox Sports NFL broadcast, Jay Glazer had a report that a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers was just moments away from being completed. And by moments, we mean moments.

“The day it actually happened, the 49ers traded him to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was already on his way there. And then all of a sudden, Brandon Aiyuk showed up at the facility early that day. He went downstairs and tried to meet with Kyle Shanahan. Kyle Shanahan tried to get in touch with management, but they couldn't take his call because they were trying to complete the trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“So Shanahan actually ran all the way up the stairs and said, 'Hold on, let's put these trade talks on hold right now. Pittsburgh, we'll call you right back.' They went down and talked to Aiyuk for about two hours and said, 'Listen, you have until the end of practice. Either we trade you to Pittsburgh today or you take the deal that's on the table. That's up to you, but you have until the end of practice.'

“He [Aiyuk] says, “This is where I want to be.” Brandon Aiyuk remains a 49er.”

Shortly after news of the Aiyuk deal broke, Adam Schefter reported that it was the same agreement as the one on August 12. Given Glazer's testimony, that lends some credibility to the statement. Schefter was reprimanded by Aiyuk's agent for saying the report was “factually inaccurate,” but the inaccuracy appears to be the date, which Schefter originally gave as August 10.

To say this was exciting until the very end isn't even accurate. It was about the last wire of that cable as all the others were cut. I wish I could see Kyle Shanahan get a busy signal from the front office and then run across the facility to get to them and tell them to hold off on the Pittsburgh deal.

As for the Steelers. As far as we knew from them, nothing they offered the 49ers was satisfactory. Aiyuk's deal was right around the 49ers' offer. Days before the deal, there was a report from Michael Silver suggesting that the Steelers and Washington Commanders could be back in the running. Still, all signs pointed to the 49ers and Aiyuk having resumed negotiations.

If that's any indication, the 49ers basically had enough of the staredown and were ready to trade Aiyuk. Whether it was because Pittsburgh had a better offer at the last minute, the front office was fed up with dealing with the whole thing, or both, Aiyuk admitted he had unnecessarily complicated the whole thing.

We'll likely get more information about what happened in those final moments as the season progresses, but even after its conclusion, the Brandon Aiyuk saga remains fascinating.

Only the 49ers could have such an offseason storyline.