In between joint practice skirmishes and proclamations of draft steals/busts off training camp clips shot at a Dutch angle, we are right on the cusp of an onslaught of NFL preseason games.
There have been rumors, and counter-rumors, and re-rumors, and a dog in a hat, of an upcoming trade involving San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and, depending on what time you last checked, the Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, and/or Pittsburgh Steelers.
The 49ers, juggling a current and upcoming salary cap situation that involves most of their current core, including the potential megadeal for quarterback Brock Purdy, are allowing Aiyuk to test the market to get ahead of potentially losing him for nothing — or guaranteeing the use of the franchise tag, which takes away a potential chip for any of the 49ers' other pending free agents.