The San Francisco 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk may not have a no-trade clause on his contract, but he may as well have one due to his control over any possible trade.
While the 49ers agreed to trade frameworks with the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots, there still is no official deal because of the elite wideout's leverage over the three teams. To finish this whole contract saga, Brandon Aiyuk should agree to an extension to either of his destination teams, which means he could decide their terms aren't worth it and play out the rest of his rookie contract with the 49ers. Ultimately, either the Browns or another team have to listen to Aiyuk more than his team.
On that note, a post shared on X, formerly Twitter, seemed to agree with this opinion. “Reminder: Although Brandon Aiyuk doesn't have an official no-trade clause, he effectively has one because his opinion carries more weight than that of the 49ers or any potential trade partner. If Aiyuk doesn't want to go to a team, he can tell that team ‘I'm not signing an extension,'” NFL insider Jordan Schultz said.
“This is a major life decision that demands the kind of thought and nuance Aiyuk has given it,” Schultz added.
NFL teams in play for 49ers trade
Initial reports have pointed to the Browns, Patriots, the Washington Commanders, and the Pittsburgh Steelers as possible trade destinations for Aiyuk. However, the Commanders have pulled out of the discussions while the Steelers balked at the 49ers' demands and removed themselves from the conversation. As of Tuesday, nobody has signed any deal, but the teams involved have expressed willingness to pay top dollar for the blossoming receiver. However, if Aiyuk declines all offers, he could play out his rookie contract worth $14.124 million. Other teams could pay him twice that amount, but so far he has not agreed to anything.
Additionally, the 49ers ending up keeping Aiyuk after all this speculation wouldn't hurt because he is a potent weapon that could help their chances of finally winning a Super Bowl.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan agreed. “Brandon's a great player so it's real hard to be better when you lose a great player,” he said. Likewise, 49ers DE Nick Bosa felt the same way. “I think it would be huge [to lose him],” he said. “I trust John [Lynch] and Kyle but he's a very tough player to replace.” Last season, the 49ers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, 25-22, in Super Bowl LVIII.
As of Tuesday, the Patriots have ended their Aiyuk pursuit, citing the receiver's lack of interest in joining the team. This new development leaves the Browns as the heavy favorite to land Aiyuk, and it also proves the amount of leverage he holds over this saga.
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