An interesting development in the failed trade for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk was the terms of the contract the Pittsburgh Steelers were offering to Aiyuk. It might seem like a non-issue at this point since the Niners ended up re-signing Aiyuk but this philosophy could be a detriment to the Steelers going forward in further trades and free agency.
According to NFL reporter Albert Breer, the contract offer the Steelers had on the table for Aiyuk set his annual salary just below that of outside linebacker T.J. Watt. This was by design to keep Watt the highest-paid player on the team.
The Steelers came closest to acquiring Aiyuk. They refused to give up a current player, but were willing to part with second- and third-round picks. The interesting thing is the money wasn’t as good with the Steelers, who didn’t want to go past what T.J. Watt makes ($28 million APY) and as such offered Aiyuk $27.7 million APY.
If this is true, it’s the most ridiculous display of loyalty I’ve seen from a team that is notorious for blind loyalty. The market dictates you have to pay players what their value is, not almost what their value is so as not to upset your highest-paid player.
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