San Francisco 49ers superstar running back Christian McCaffrey may have inadvertently revealed teammate Brandon Aiyuk’s fate during an interview with NFL Network on Tuesday.
On Monday evening, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reported that the 49ers have “the framework” in place with the New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns for a Brandon Aiyuk trade. Nothing has been finalized as of Tuesday evening, but Christian McCaffrey dropped another significant hint about Aiyuk’s future.
Speaking to Chris Rose and Steve Wyche of NFL Network, McCaffrey accidentally referred to the 26-year-old Aiyuk as “a former teammate.” The reigning rushing champion quickly realized his mistake and attempted to correct himself:
“It’s not part of my job, it’s not part of my position. Obviously, as a former teammate…or you know, a teammate of his in general, any teammate that you have you love, you respect them. You want the best for them.”
👀 Christian McCaffrey refers to Brandon Aiyuk as a “former teammate”
h/t @StatsOnFire #49ers pic.twitter.com/RUtiFjt6aU
— Kevin Krueger (@kevinkruegs) August 6, 2024
It’s hard not to interpret Christian McCaffrey’s “former teammate” reference as a hint that the 49ers have informed him about a looming Aiyuk trade. Again, nothing has been confirmed at this time.
Interestingly, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Tuesday afternoon that the Pittsburgh Steelers have also re-emerged as players in the Aiyuk sweepstakes. Leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft, the Steelers had been linked to the two-time 1,000-yard receiver.
