BREAKING: Why the 49ers re-signed him rather than selling him makes too much sense.
Matt Maiocco and Jennifer Lee Chan talk about the 49ers’ current receiver corps, including Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, and Jauan Jennings, as well as potential for the 2024 NFL Draft.
Despite all of the changes on the 49ers‘ roster this offseason, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has been the focus.
And it will remain that way until there is a settlement.
There is one week till the draft, and no credible information suggests that Aiyuk will be traded somewhere.
However, things can change quickly, so it is too early to rule it out totally.
The 49ers would consider a deal with Aiyuk if another team expressed interest. And the team would have to pay twice for him.
Any team interested in Aiyuk would have to give up a valuable draft selection (or two) while also providing Aiyuk with the type of lucrative, multi-year contract that the 49ers are offering him this summer.
Does it make sense for that team? Does it make sense for the 49ers?
Depending on the compensation package, general manager John Lynch would take a major gamble in parting ways with Brock Purdy’s favorite target and a player at a position in which the 49ers are woefully thin.
After Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, the 49ers’ next-best receiver is Jauan Jennings, who caught 19 passes for 265 yards in 13 games last season. The 49ers do not even have a No. 4 receiver at this point.
Sure, the 2024 NFL Draft is likely to produce some high-caliber wide receivers, but we also know how tough it is for inexperienced wide receivers to rapidly adapt to Kyle Shanahan’s offense and style.
Of course, Aiyuk is not participating in the 49ers’ offseason program, which began Monday at their training facility in Santa Clara. He is not expected to participate in any voluntary activities until the parties reach an agreement on a new contract.
And, if history is any indication, it may take some time.
George Kittle, Fred Warner, and Deebo Samuel signed second contracts with the team around the start of training camp in late July.
And Nick Bosa signed his hefty contract last year in the midst of the week before the first game of the regular season.
Lynch recently told Bay Area reporters that there were many alternative outcomes regarding Aiyuk. He would not rule out the possibility that no long-term deal is negotiated before the season begins, and Aiyuk might play the final year of his contract at the scheduled salary of $14.1 million.
“We have a good history of working with the guys we want to get done, and it takes two sides,” Lynch said. “So can we do that? We’ll see.”
Aiyuk’s agent, Ryan Williams, recently shot down unsourced online reports that Aiyuk has requested a trade and that the Pittsburgh Steelers are aggressively pursuing Aiyuk. Williams labeled the report about the Steelers as “fictional.”
Williams and Lynch are good friends, so the tenor of the negotiations can be expected to be cordial and professional. There should be open lines of communication at every step of the way.
Lynch has only moved one Pro Bowl-caliber player, defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, to the Indianapolis Colts in mid-March of 2020.
When the 49ers retain a player well into the offseason, they have found a way to keep him.
Aiyuk is especially crucial to the 49ers because he gels so well with Purdy, whom the 49ers plan to sign to the richest contract in team history next year.
Purdy’s strength is his ability to throw from the middle of the field, which Aiyuk also excels at. Purdy’s ability to make accurate throws in traffic allows Aiyuk to make the reception at full speed and spin upfield for several yards after the play.
The 49ers landed a big-time player when they traded up six spots in the 2020 NFL Draft to select Aiyuk at No. 25 overall.
At this point in the offseason, it appears that some team would have to make an incredible offer to the 49ers to release such a good grab.
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