KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - FEBRUARY 14: Law enforcement respond to a shooting at Union Station during the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl LVIII victory parade on February 14, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri. Several people were shot and two people were detained after a rally celebrating the Chiefs Super Bowl victory. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
Wonders shall never end” the avoided has happened” i see my end..
Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is expected to be traded by the San Francisco 49ers either before or on the first day of the 2024 NFL Draft, if they choose to do so in the following four days. There have been some unverified reports, but nothing solid to suggest that a deal is happening soon. The 49ers have previously stated that they intended to keep Aiyuk on staff for the near future.
Ryan Williams, Aiyuk’s agent, has quickly denied rumors, such as the one that said the receiver had asked for a trade, saying the Pittsburgh Steelers were “aggressively pursuing” Aiyuk.
While no official trade request has been made, an NFL insider speculates that the 49ers may have allowed Aiyuk and his agent to gauge interest from other teams.
“Last weekend, Aiyuk’s agent took issue with a report that Aiyuk has requested a trade,” wrote Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “The truth, however, is more along the lines of Aiyuk getting clearance to see whether someone would be willing to do a deal with the 49ers, which necessarily would entail someone doing a deal for Aiyuk. That could help the 49ers, if the financial offer another team might make to Aiyuk isn’t dramatically better than whatever the 49ers are willing to pay.”
Florio also notes that the 49ers have rebuffed “at least one overture” regarding Aiyuk. He suggests that if anything is going to happen, it will be within the next few days. If the draft passes and Aiyuk remains on the roster, that will likely remain the case.
To facilitate a potential trade, the 49ers will seek capital in the upcoming draft to add a prospect who can contribute immediately rather than waiting until next year’s draft.
Florio suggests that the 49ers might be wise to keep any discussions with other teams quiet until the last possible moment.
“The goal should be to do the deal when the pick they’d be acquiring is on the clock, like the Titans did in 2022 when they traded receiver A.J. Brown and acquired Philadelphia’s first-round pick,” Florio stated. “The timing prevents the 49ers from being leapfrogged by a team that might guess right as to the player the 49ers would be taking, if they get the pick before it’s time for the pick to be used.”
Of course, the best option would be to retain Aiyuk and find a way to compensate him without jeopardizing the team’s salary cap situation, especially with quarterback Brock Purdy’s long-term deal looming in 2025.
