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The San Francisco 49ers have overcome numerous injury obstacles to stay in the thick of the playoff race at 9-4. However, the team remains extremely thin at wideout. And help is probably not on the way. The 49ers voided Brandon Aiyuk’s guaranteed money for 2026 amid growing frustration with his lengthy injury absence. While the team is still open to a return, Aiyuk has likely already played his last game as a Niner
The wild turn of events comes a little over a year after San Francisco ended a tense standoff by signing Aiyuk to a four-year, $120 million extension. However, before offering the deal, the 49ers attempted to trade Aiyuk. The Pittsburgh Steelers were interested in acquiring the wideout on the heels of a second-team All-Pro season. Pittsburgh was reportedly willing to part with second- and third-round picks for Aiyuk. But the deal fell apart when the Steelers balked at including a current player in the trade.
It’s now clear the 49ers wanted George Pickens in the failed Aiyuk trade, per The San Francisco Standard’s David Lombardi. Pittsburgh was unwilling to move the young wideout following a strong 2023 campaign.
Of course, the Steelers’ thinking on Pickens quickly changed. One year after refusing to send the receiver to San Francisco, Pittsburgh traded Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys. The team grew weary of off-field issues surrounding the wideout and ultimately packaged him with a 2027 sixth-round pick in exchange for a 2026 third-rounder and a 2027 fifth-round pick.
The decision has not aged well. Pickens has posted a phenomenal season with the Cowboys. In just 12 games he’s already set new career-high marks in receptions, yards and touchdowns, setting himself up for a $30+ million per year contract in free agency.
The Steelers reportedly moved on from Pickens over maturity issues. And Dallas has benefitted from Pittsburgh’s impatience. The Cowboys simply don’t care about Pickens’ timeliness issues. While the wideout continues to turn up late to meetings and other team activities, Dallas has largely chosen to overlook his tardiness. And Pickens has rewarded the team with a monster season.
It begs the question, would Kyle Shanahan have handled the situation the same way if Pickens landed with the 49ers in 2024? It seems unlikely. But if the deal had gone through and Pickens had figured it out in San Francisco, the 49ers would boast a terrifying offense.
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