Brandon Aiyuk‘s 49ers drama is over; the long-running extension saga ended with a $30MM-per-year deal. But the Steelers loom as the second-place finishers. Pittsburgh not having a wide receiver to send to San Francisco hurt its chances, as the 49ers understandably wanted an immediate replacement.
A workaround formed for the 49ers during the trade chapter — which featured framework with the Steelers — of this offseason-overshadowing Aiyuk drama. The defending NFC champions offered the Broncos a third-round pick for Courtland Sutton, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, but Denver declined.
For all intents and purposes, this would have been akin to a three-team trade. The 49ers would have then traded Aiyuk to the Steelers, Russini implies, with the Broncos suddenly playing a central role in the “what if?” Aiyuk-to-Pittsburgh scenario. The Pittsburgh component also includes the team offering the 49ers second- and third-round picks for Aiyuk, SI.com’s Albert Breer reports. The Sutton piece of this puzzle would have involved the Pittsburgh third going to Denver.
Had the Sutton offer produced a deal, the 49ers would have been better positioned to send Aiyuk to the Steelers. With the Broncos keeping Sutton as their top wideout — after a Browns deal involving Amari Cooper fell through — the 49ers were in a tougher spot with Aiyuk. The parties returned to the table and hammered out an extension that locks in fifth-year standout through 2028.
Considering the Broncos unloaded Jerry Jeudy for fifth- and sixth-round picks, this seemingly would have been a tempting proposal. Sutton was acquired before Sean Payton‘s arrival, and only $2MM in guarantees remain on his through-2025 deal. Sutton has also been a trade-rumor mainstay since before the 2022 deadline. Denver holding off here suggests the team wants a proven target around Bo Nix, as a future Sutton trade proposal may well not include third-round compensation.
While Pittsburgh has only George Pickens as a proven starter-level receiver, the team did draft Roman Wilson in Round 3. The Steelers have turned several Day 2 wideouts into promising receivers, with Antonio Brown coming from Day 3. This edition, now featuring ex-Broncos QB Russell Wilson at the controls, looks to include Van Jefferson as Pickens’ top complement. It would have been out of character for the Steelers to bring in an outside receiver of Aiyuk’s caliber (and pay him the $27MM-plus-per-year deal they proposed), but it does look like the Omar Khan-led operation was close to doing so. It needed some help the Broncos were unwilling to provide.
San Francisco’s offer comes nearly 18 months after Denver nearly dealt Sutton to Baltimore. The Ravens were on the verge of acquiring Sutton in March 2023 but backed out and signed Odell Beckham Jr. The Broncos, who had set a second-round asking price on Sutton and a first-rounder on Jeudy last year, went back to the well with the two John Elway-era WR additions. Sutton overtook Jeudy as Russell Wilson’s top target, catching 10 touchdown passes — including a few acrobatic grabs — to help the team recover from a 1-5 start.
Jeudy is now in Cleveland; he may well have become Aiyuk’s Browns complementary piece, with the 49ers wideout nixing a trade that would have sent Cooper to San Francisco. Both Cooper and Sutton expressed disappointment in their contracts this offseason, though their respective teams agreed on mere incentive packages. Despite this low-key end to Denver’s Sutton talks, the team appears to value the 2018 second-rounder in Payton’s second year.
Russini’s report also pours some cold water on the Broncos unloading Sutton before the trade deadline. Denver just cut Tim Patrick, who had run with its starters for much of camp and the preseason, but has Sutton in place as its wideout anchor. The team will attempt to develop recent draftees Marvin Mims, Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele, as Josh Reynolds is now in place as veteran support. But Sutton, who is entering his age-29 season, will be relied upon to boost Nix’s rookie-year development.