While the 49ers aren’t any closer to signing Brandon Aiyuk to an extension, the organization continues to signal that they want to retain the star wide receiver. With trade rumors rumbling, general manager John Lynch made it clear that the 49ers want Aiyuk on their roster in 2024 and beyond.
“I’ve communicated on many occasions: our wish is that he’s here and part of the Niners for the rest of his career,” Lynch said (via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner). “We’re working through that … I can say we’re having good talks, and I’m just going to leave it at that.”
When asked if there’s a chance Aiyuk could be dealt during this week’s draft, Lynch said that he “wouldn’t anticipate” making that kind of move. However, the GM did acknowledge that he’s received interest from WR-needy teams. We heard last week that the Steelers were among the teams sniffing around on the 49ers WR.
As Ari Meirov of The33rdTeam.com writes, the draft will ultimately be a “critical pressure point” in the 49ers/Aiyuk saga. This is a similar situation to how the 49ers proceeded with Deebo Samuel in 2022. The team ended up rejecting offers from interested teams (including the No. 10 pick from the Jets) before ultimately extending the receiver a few months later. If Aiyuk is on the 49ers roster through the draft, Meirov believes that will signal that the 49ers are confident in signing Aiyuk to a new contract.
Set to play the 2024 campaign on the fifth-year option, Aiyuk is seeking an extension that would make him one of the league’s highest-paid wide receivers. While the front office could temporarily afford an Aiyuk extension, the team may be hard pressed to carry the receiver’s sizable cap hits in future years.
If the 49ers aren’t willing to pay Aiyuk what he wants, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is confident that there are other teams that would willingly give the wideout a sizable pay day. Rapoport is currently leaning towards Aiyuk taking a slight discount to stick where he’s most comfortable, but the reporter also cautions that things could change quickly.
Supposedly the league thinks the niners want too much. Wanting a first round pick plus for probably the most efficient receiver in the league, and a great blocker at that isn’t too much.
He is good but is he the most efficient because he is surrounded by weapons that help limit coverage on him? He is never seeing the coverage Chase, Jefferson, Hill, Lamb, Evans, sees. Teams are focused on CMC and Deebo short routes.
Didn’t Aiyuk’s numbers drop some when Deebo was out?
You really said chase? Higgins and Boyd are much better than deebo, who isn’t an actual receiver, and Jennings. Kittle doesn’t get to go out as much as he should cause the right side of that line is awful
9ers use Deebo as a weapon not a wr so he is more dangerous than Boyd and Higgins in that way. Yes Deebo the wr is bad which is why no team is going to help them and trade for him. He does not want to be a full time rb which is how some teams would use him.
CMC is the main help, none of the wrs I mentioned have a real great rb. Fins have a gimmick run style, but it does not work in the playoffs and tough weather. Mixon was a decent back but slow for Bengals.
“Higgins and Boyd MUCH better then Deebo”
You’re joking right? Boyd, ABSOLUTELY NOT! Higgins is just as dangerous he’s not better by any means they both have strengths and weaknesses! To say that is a JOKE
Heard an interesting theory of chargers trading #5 for Aiyuk, #29, and a 3rd round pick.
Chargers definitely have a lot of moves to make at 5 if they choose to trade out.
No way is he worth the 5th overall pick haha writer must have had a quota and wrote that BS. AJ Brown didn’t garner a 5th overall pick. No wr has or will.
Aj brown didn’t have a first attached to him either homie. This trade actually makes sense
Niners have the 31st pick not the 29th either way those are back end more like top end 2nd rounders.
Chargers just had cap hell to figure out. Aiyuk requires a new contract…it does not make sense. Get a rookie on a cheap deal.
He’ll be dealt draft night like aj Brown
They said the same thing about deebo
49ers already have so many big contracts
I’m likely wrong and can’t imagine what they’d give in return with so many needs, it I’m still saying he ends up with the Steelers
I always thought that if one of the Niners WRs were to go and get traded, it’d be Deebo and not Aiyuk getting shopped. Aiyuk has proven to be consistent, durable, and extremely versatile/flexible in any role the team puts him in.
And while I love Deebo’s game, he is undoubtedly the more injury-prone of the two.
If they trade Deebo it will likely be after June 1st because there will be a huge dead cap hit if it is any earlier. The heavy 2 year cap hit might be worth it if they are able to move up in the draft, though, but it will have to be a significant move to be worth the cap crunch when so many of their players’ salaries are going to balloon soon.