Much like Antonio Brown before him, Brandon Aiyuk is wasting the Steelers time

The Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers reportedly have a deal in place for wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. That is the good news for the Steelers. The bad news is that Aiyuk and the 49ers remain in talks about a contract extension, which makes the entire point of these trade conversations rather irrelevant.

If anything, Omar Khan and the Steelers front office have been taken hostage by Aiyuk, who used this entire situation as leverage to get the money he wants from San Francisco. It should also be noted that Pittsburgh is willing to give Aiyuk a lucrative contract as well.

Aiyuk trade talks have been ongoing for months. Finally, at the last minute, he's willing to meet the 49ers halfway despite initially showing excitement about the prospect of playing in Pittsburgh. Per Jeremy Fowler, the Steelers are one phone call away from acquiring Aiyuk, but it is out of their hands.

Brandon Aiyuk is using the Steelers as leverage

This entire drama is reminiscent of a previous Steelers standoff with Antonio Brown in the 2019 offseason. Much like Brown, Aiyuk has used social media as leverage. Much like Brown, Aiyuk's spectacle has played out for months. And much like Brown, everyone is hurt at the end.

The Steelers already have one overdramatic wide receiver on their current roster in George Pickens. Do they really want another? Yes, Pittsburgh's WR2 is Van Jefferson, which isn't close to good enough, but even with Aiyuk it's tough to buy into the Steelers as a Super Bowl contender.

Steelers cannot afford another diva wide receiver in the locker room

By most accounts, when Aiyuk is satisfied with his bank account he is a great teammate. With a fantastic football culture in San Francisco, Aiyuk has blossomed into one of the best wide receivers in the NFC. Will he be the same player once he gets paid, and if he's not competing for a conference championship every year?

These are serious questions Khan must ask. His regular conversations with Lynch -- completed over the course of months, mind you -- suggest that Aiyuk is struggling to make up his mind. On the football field, acquiring Aiyuk would be an immediate upgrade, but it would also pigeon hole Pittsburgh into finding an affordable quarterback option or drafting a signal-caller in the draft, given the amount of capital spent at other positions.

The Steelers could've answered some of those questions this offseason, were they not so preoccupied with Aiyuk, who has yet to make them a priority.