Following their Super Bowl defeat, the normally composed Brandon Aiyuk made a remarkably noncommittal comment regarding his future with the 49ers, which clearly caught them off guard. This has made a trade for Aiyuk this offseason more likely, if not inevitable, as he is due for a big contract deal that the 49ers won’t be able to afford.
That began earlier this month when people in Aiyuk’s social circle posted remarks on social media seemingly indicating that Aiyuk was moving on. Aiyuk had just three catches in the Super Bowl, as his close friend Dylan Hudson noted, and he said, “This is the exact reason why we leaving San Francisco.”
Aiyuk did not try to dismiss the posts when they were brought up, stating that he would only continue with the 49ers if it was “the right move.” In addition, he appeared troubled by his lack of catches in the Super Bowl on social media when he shared the message, “Remember what brought you here.”
This has opened up a number of possible trade situations for the 49ers, one of which being the logical sending of him to the young Texans, as suggested by Bleacher Report. The 49ers gave up a sixth-round pick in exchange for a first- and third-round pick in the 2024 draft.
Trade for Brandon Aiyuk May Produce Top Picks
Author Maurice Moton proposed the two picks-for-Aiyuk trade in a post titled “5 Trade That NFL Teams Can Make for Salary Cap Relief,” explaining that:
The 49ers might acquire first- and middle-round picks in exchange for Aiyuk, in a transaction reminiscent of the Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans’ trade of A.J. Brown two years prior.
“In this trade scenario, the 49ers would receive an earlier third-round pick from the Eagles than the Titans did, which would allow them to add a rookie who could play right away to fill another hole on their roster.”
Even though that is the case, the 49ers would be hesitant to start the 2024 campaign depending too much on a rookie to take Aiyuk’s spot, considering that Aiyuk finished with 1,342 yards on 75 catches and an average of 17.9 yards per catch. Both yardage and yards per reception put him second in the NFL.
Possibility of a 49ers comeback?
Technically, Aiyuk has a $14 million contract for the upcoming season based on his fifth-year option. The 49ers might try to sign him to that contract for the upcoming season, but there’s a good chance he’d hold out for a different offer. Aiyuk is projected by Spotrac to be worth $23 million year, and they anticipate that he will be good for a four-year, $92 million deal extension.
ESPN analyst Dan Graziano noted that the organization may figure out a way to keep Aiyuk if they made signing him to an extension their top priority during a thorough analysis of the San Francisco scenario involving Aiyuk. They would have to make cuts to other elite players, such as injured Dre Greenlaw and fullback Kyle Juszczyk, but those are their options if they are prepared to be brutal in order to retain Aiyuk.
“The 49ers will have a very tough time navigating the Aiyuk situation this offseason, given how the rest of the wide receiver market still hasn’t shaken out,” Graziano said.
The most likely outcome of this is that Aiyuk gets dealt to a team where he is unquestionably the best wide receiver and can sign the extension he desires, forcing the Niners to select a first-round pick to select his replacement.
Yes, but there is still a chance to keep Aiyuk and trade Deebo Samuel, the other outstanding 49ers receiver. However, Samuel’s versatility is highly valued by coach Kyle Shanahan, and his recent injuries make trading him more challenging.
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