Deebo Samuel may not be the only San Francisco 49ers receiver on the move this offseason. While Samuel has since been traded to the Washington Commanders, general manager John Lynch acknowledged this week that teams have also called the organization regarding the availability of fellow wideout Brandon Aiyuk. Lynch added that the team is listening to those calls.
“Yeah, that typically happens with really good players,” Lynch said Wednesday in Indianapolis at the NFL Scouting Combine, via 49ers Webzone. “I remember, I think two years ago, having similar conversations. You get calls, and you always listen to calls.”
The fact that San Francisco is at least listening to those calls suggests that it’s not out of the question that it moves off Aiyuk this offseason. If that ultimately comes to pass, it would be a rather remarkable calendar year between the team and the wideout. Talks of the Niners moving on from Aiyuk was a main storyline last offseason and bled into training camp before the two sides ultimately agreed on a four-year, $120 million extension.
Just months after inking that extension, Aiyuk’s 2024 season was cut short after he suffered a torn ACL and MCL in the club’s Week 7 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. Given his uncertainty heading into 2025 because of that injury, it’ll be curious to see if that dents his value on the trade market.
Aiyuk has spent his entire career with the 49ers ever since the organization selected him with the No. 25 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Arizona State. His best season in the league came in 2023 where he tallied 105 catches for 1,342 yards receiving and seven touchdowns. Before suffering his season-ending injury last year, he had 25 catches for 374 yards.
As for where Aiyuk could end up if the 49ers do decide to trade him, let’s take a gander at a trio of landing spots.
It’s no secret the Steelers are in the market for a wide receiver, as they’ve been looking to add to that position group over the past calendar year. In fact, Aiyuk was one of their targets last summer, and Pittsburgh reportedly had a deal in place with San Francisco to deal for the receiver before he ultimately decided to stay with the 49ers and sign his extension. Could Pittsburgh simply call Lynch up and spark those conversations again with just some tweaks on those initial parameters?
While the Chargers did hit on Ladd McConkey in the second round of last year’s draft, the team is still pretty thin at wide receiver. Sure, it has Quentin Johnston, who was more productive in his second season in the league, but Joshua Palmer is set to hit free agency, further denting the depth at the position. Los Angeles has the sixth-highest amount of cap space in the league this offseason at $66.4 million, so the Chargers should be able to manage Aiyuk’s contact. More importantly, a trade for Aiyuk would give Justin Herbert another elite weapon as the Chargers contend in an increasingly more competitive AFC West.
The Patriots have been starved for wide receiver talent for as far back as one can remember, and bolstering the position group should be a key area for them to address this offseason. They have the most cap space in the NFL at $127.7 million this cycle, so bringing in his contract shouldn’t be too cumbersome. While there is a slight concern with him coming off a season-ending knee injury, he is young enough that teams should expect a full recovery. Aiyuk is going to be 27 years old at the start of next season, making him a pass-catching option who can help Drake Maye develop for the foreseeable future.
Read the full article here