The San Francisco 49ers are in a pickle with Brandon Aiyuk's contract negotiations. The two parties are obviously not close on the terms of a new contract that would keep Aiyuk in San Francisco for the long haul. Instead, Brandon Aiyuk has now officially requested a trade from the 49ers, which puts the team's back against the wall. Could one of the NFL's top receivers be on the move soon?
Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio suggests that one potential solution could be trading Deebo Samuel and then using the leftover cap space to extend Brandon Aiyuk.
Before the 2024 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers reportedly wanted to trade for Deebo Samuel. However, the 49ers reportedly wanted more than the Steelers were willing to give up in a trade.
It is easy to understand the logic with this argument. Aiyuk is a younger player than Samuel, which would be the smarter choice if you only had to invest in one of them. Aiyuk (75 catches for 1,342 yards) also had a more productive season in 2023 than Samuel did (60 catches for 892 yards) even when you account for Deebo's midseason injury.
The only question would be: what is Deebo Samuel's trade market? His $28.63 million cap hit could be tough to stomach for most teams.
49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk reportedly had five teams willing to pay him $28 million per year
One factor that complicates this situation is the fact that Aiyuk is not asking for the moon. In fact, recent reports indicate that there are multiple NFL teams that have been willing to pay Aiyuk's price.
Florio recently appeared on The Pat McAfee Show to share his thoughts on the matter, including a juicy rumor.
“There was a time before the draft, where, as they were haggling over what he is worth, his agent was given permission to see if other teams would pay him what he was looking for,” Florio said. “At the time, it was $28 million a year. It’s probably higher than that now as the market's changed. I’m told there were five teams that were ready to go and give him what he wanted — what the 49ers wouldn’t give him. But they couldn’t work out a deal with the 49ers for a trade.”
It isn't too surprising to hear that other teams are interested in Aiyuk. With so many potential suitors out there, it is surprising that no trade has been agreed to yet.
“From the 49ers' perspective, this is where it gets a little screwy,” Florio added. “You’ve got 5 other teams that were willing to pay him what he wants and give you something to get him; why won’t you just pay him what he wants?”
The 49ers seem to be telling us from their actions that they cannot afford to extend Brandon Aiyuk. The only alternative is that they believe he isn't worth extending, which seems farfetched.
Hopefully there is some resolution to this situation before the regular season.
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