Jeremy Fowler: 'It's pretty much down to the Steelers and 49ers' for Brandon Aiyuk

The ongoing Brandon Aiyuk trade saga has heated up.

After reportedly rejecting an offer to be traded from the San Francisco 49ers to the Cleveland Browns in a package including WR Amari Cooper on Friday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler believes this situation will end one of two ways.

Fowler expects Aiyuk to either return to San Francisco or get traded to the only other major suitor that has been reportedly in contention for his services — the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“I’m told it’s pretty much down to the Steelers and 49ers – him staying in San Francisco – at this point. I was told around Thursday the 49ers intensified their efforts to try to re-sign him after some stagnant weeks where he was sitting around waiting to be traded, essentially. So the Steelers are still in it. Other teams have tried, the Patriots, the Browns. It looks like right now it is those two (Steelers and 49ers).

“It was really a pay me or trade me situation for Aiyuk. So maybe they’re actually going to pay him in San Francisco, because they looked at all the options. They even worked around the phones to try to see who else was out there with other teams. They tried to get a receiver in a trade. It looks like they might just stay put. We’ll see what intensifies there. Very fluid”

It was recently reported the 49ers had a renewed interest in signing him to a new contract – which drew a strong response from Aiyuk on social media. As San Francisco works through potential trade options, NFL insider Tom Pelissero said the franchise wanted to get a wide receiver in return as part of a deal. With the rejected offer from the Browns, that hasn’t happened to this point.

The 49ers reportedly were not satisfied with what the Steelers had to offer them, either, which has sent those sides back to the drawing board in the days since.

Pelissero said the 49ers interest to keep Aiyuk around is the first time there’s been movement from either side in months. Aiyuk never said he doesn’t want to play in San Francisco, rather he wants to be paid to the amount that he believes he deserves whether that be with the 49ers or anywhere else.

Last season, Aiyuk caught 75 passes for 1,342 yards and scored seven touchdowns. His second 1,000-yard receiving season in a row, the 49ers wideout believes he’s done enough to earn that bill.