Mike Tomlin’s twin, where have you been?
Brandon Aiyuk had an insanely good 2023 campaign. He put out big numbers for Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers. As a matter of fact, his production plays such an integral role in giving the team the bye which consequentially landed them in the Super Bowl. Obviously, the wideout already wants to be paid given his output and it even looks like he is speeding up the process with a hilarious tweet to Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.
“@CoachTomlin they saying we twins. What you think?” the 49ers wide receiver wrote.
Surprisingly, the two of them have a lot of facial features in common. They would be nearly identical if Brandon Aiyuk had shorter hair and Coach Mike Tomlin had longer hair.
Now, this tweet from the 49ers star to the Steelers general manager might just be lighthearted banter. Why would Aiyuk want to go, after all, when Kyle Shanahan has consistently shown he can lead the team to a Super Bowl? That may not be the problem, though, given that rumors of a trade are spreading across the league.
Aiyuk still has one more year to spend with his old contract. But, his career year proves that he deserves to be paid much more. Some projections have him notching a four-year deal with a massive $96 million payout. The Steelers may be able to reallocate some assets to free up room for Aiyuk. They will require more weapons than simply George Pickens to handle the ball, as Russell Wilson and Justin Fields are the ones throwing it.
Aiyuk helps a young gun like Pickens in large measure because of his expertise. No wide receiver in the Steelers system has ever made as many deep runs as he has during the playoffs. He is more than just an intangible; he can produce impressive results. He recorded 1,342 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on just 75 receptions. Additionally, Aiyuk has increased his range from deep. His average yardage per catch from the previous season was 17.9, about five yards greater than he had in 2022.
