In the latest online chatter, yet another rumor concerning the future of 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has come to the surface. This rumor has nothing to do with his future in San Francisco or Pittsburgh, but Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports that the wide receiver convinced the 49ers to turn down a trade offer from the Browns that would have included Amari Cooper, a second-round pick, and a fifth-round pick. 
In a moment where Cleveland doesn’t seem to be a part of the conversation, it is interesting that this information would leak, especially when it didn’t amount to anything. Cooper just posted a career high in receiving yards despite missing two games and playing nearly two thirds of the season with backup quarterbacks. Yes, he’s four years older than Aiyuk, but there’s no reason the Browns would choose to make it known that they were willing to move on from their top receiver.
Still, it’s interesting to note Cleveland was prepared to meet San Francisco’s asking price (which, according to Maiocco, includes second- and third-round selections absent any players being included) to finalize a deal. Pittsburgh has not yet been willing to go to those lengths in terms of draft capital on top of not having a comparable receiver to Cooper to offer.
NBC Sports’ Mike Florio points the finger at the 49ers, positing that San Francisco is attempting to make it seem as though Aiyuk is unreasonable and unhelpful when trying to find a solution to the situation.
There’s been speculation that the team has been fielding trade offers with possible extension opportunities in an attempt to gauge Aiyuk’s contract value for their own negotiating purposes. This way, they get a look at what other teams are willing to pay to extend Aiyuk. It also forces Aiyuk to the negotiating table with the promise of talk of what he wants — a trade in which he has input — while allowing the team to continue working towards their own interests — an extension under market value — while he’s at the table.
This is just the latest of lots of speculation and rumors surrounding this situation. It’s hard to see much relevance in the update, but the information does shine some interesting light on one of the league’s more chaotic preseason storylines.