Brandon Aiyuk tweeted at 'twin' Mike Tomlin amid 49ers-Steelers trade rumors

In an NFC title-winning season for the San Francisco 49ers, one could’ve easily argued that Brandon Aiyuk’s was the team’s best player.

A 2023 Second-Team All-Pro, Aiyuk finished seventh in the NFL in receiving yards (1,342) and was second in yards per catch (17.9). Those are no small feats on a loaded offense with so many mouths to feed. It is precisely that stacked (and expensive) offense, though, that may be the reason Aiyuk potentially finds himself on another team for the 2024 season. He is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and the 49ers do not have a lot of salary cap space in the middle of a Super Bowl window.

Aiyuk’s new team might be the Pittsburgh Steelers. At least according to the first tweet Aiyuk sent (and later deleted) from his Twitter profile in nearly a full calendar year.

On Tuesday, the star receiver tweeted directly at Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, addressing conversations that he apparently has a close resemblance to Tomlin, likening him to a “twin.” The timing is rather curious, as there are rumors that the Steelers are trying to trade for Aiyuk.

Here’s a screenshot of the deleted tweet:

All of this could mean nothing. Aiyuk might have simply been trolling everyone by tweeting directly at Tomlin in a way that acknowledges the “conversation” between the 49ers and Steelers. Or, if you’re a believer in smoke indicating where a fire is, this could have been Aiyuk inadvertently jumping the gun on a pending blockbuster deal. It’s worth noting that the 49ers playmaker stayed politely neutral about his future in San Francisco right after a loss in Super Bowl 58.

NFL fee agency just kicked off last week, and the 49ers will have to make a decision sooner rather than later about Aiyuk. We’ll see if there’s anything that manifests from this little hoopla the star created online.