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Steelers one-time trade-target showing signs of 'mental instability'
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- Steelers one-time trade-target showing signs of 'mental instability'
The Pittsburgh Steelers spent much of the 2024 offseason waiting on Brandon Aiyuk .
They had interest, a strong trade offer, and a contract ready if the San Francisco 49ers finally decided to move him. San Francisco never did. Aiyuk eventually signed a four-year, $120 million extension, and from the Steelers ' perspective, that miss looks better by the month.
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Aiyuk's 2024 season quickly went sideways. He finished with only 374 receiving yards in seven games before tearing his ACL. He was placed on the PUP list during the 2025 offseason, and reports of his lack of participation began to pile up.
Eventually, the 49ers voided the guaranteed money in his 2026 contract and placed him on their reserve/left squad list.
And it's gotten even stranger since.
Aiyuk recently posted a video warning the 49ers, "Man, stop running from the belt. The belt coming. You scared, they scared. The truth is, they scared. They're gonna say BA did this, BA did that, BA did that s**t allegedly, but what they're not gonna say is BA suck at football, cuz they know how I get it. … They running from that belt that's on the way. It's inevitable, it's coming."
That prompted a response from Emmanuel Acho on the "Speakeasy" podcast , saying, "Brandon Aiyuk, to me, he's just showing signs of mental instability. There's no more kind, delicate way for me to put it," Acho said.
Acho pointed to social media activity and a previous video in which Aiyuk appeared to record himself driving at over 100 miles per hour.
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"You're recording yourself doing something illegal," Acho said. "Now, you're recording yourself on social media with these kinds of implications that they're holding you hostage, and they're running from the belt."
This serves as a reminder that the trade the Steelers didn't land may have spared them from a much bigger problem: Antonio Brown 2.0.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers' failed Brandon Aiyuk trade looks better by the day
