The San Francisco 49ers have already had a turbulent offseason. Deebo Samuel requested a trade from the team during his exit meetings in January and the past month has been filled with rumors where the former All-Pro could land.
But while everyone is fixated on Samuel, the 49ers could be in need of a bigger roster shakeup. San Francisco is coming off a disappointing 6-11 season and needs to clear room for contract extensions for Brock Purdy and George Kittle, which could lead to more familiar names going out the door.
That means more names could be on the block including a different receiver who could be making his way out of San Francisco.
Multiple Teams Reportedly Interested in Trading for 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini revealed on the latest episode of her “Scoop City” podcast that multiple teams have been in talks with the 49ers about trading receiver Brandon Aiyuk. The idea seems ridiculous considering Aiyuk just signed a four-year, $120 million extension last summer, but teams who were interested in trading for the 26-year-old before that deal was signed have tried to restart conversations this offseason.
“Brandon Aiyuk is a player that a lot of teams had interest in before he signed that deal last year,” Russini wrote. “...There’s some teams poking around now to see if the 49ers would be willing to deal Brandon Aiyuk.”
Aiyuk was a hot trade candidate a year ago as he sought a lucrative contract extension from the 49ers. Although the two sides eventually agreed on a deal 11 days before the 49ers opened the season, teams kept calling as Aiyuk staged a hold-in during training camp.
The 49ers first-round pick in the 2020 draft was coming off a career year, catching 75 passes for a career-high 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns but he struggled out of the gate. After catching 25 passes for 374 yards, Aiyuk tore his ACL last October and was lost for the remainder of the season.
Reports around Aiyuk’s recovery have been positive so far and it apparently persuaded teams to take another crack at landing the Arizona State product. The 49ers have $50.6 million in cap space heading into the offseason according to Over The Cap, but trading Aiyuk would saddle the 49ers with $41.25 million in dead money and a $30.5 million cap penalty if the move is made before June 1 (assuming the 49ers wouldn’t eat salary to get rid of him).
While Aiyuk’s 2024 was disappointing, it’s a better idea to ride it out. With Samuel’s departure looking imminent, the 49ers will need weapons around Purdy and teaming Aiyuk with last year’s first-round pick Ricky Pearsall may be the best option moving forward.