While San Francisco 49ers GM John Lynch stated after the 2024 NFL Draft that the team was “past” trade discussions surrounding standout wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who enters the final year of his contract and wants a new deal, those comments from Lynch haven’t tamped down the noise surrounding an Aiyuk trade.
Despite that noise, nothing has changed from the 49ers’ perspective when it comes to their view on Aiyuk, even with the selection of Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall in the first round, and then Arizona wide receiver Jacob Cowing in the fourth round.
According to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, the 49ers are moving forward with Aiyuk on the roster and aim to have him back next season on a long-term deal.
“Yeah, the Pearsall pick really made everyone scratch their heads and go, ‘Maybe they really are trading Brandon Aiyuk.’ It doesn’t seem like that is in the cards, at least right now. My understanding on the situation, really something that has been consistent since the draft is that the 49ers are moving forward with Brandon Aiyuk on their roster,” Rapoport said during an appearance on NFL Network Wednesday morning.
That was the report coming out of the draft, especially after Lynch’s comments and then the news that the 49ers had engaged in some trade talks regarding both Aiyuk and star receiver Deebo Samuel before shutting those talks down.
But despite the decision to move forward with Aiyuk on the roster, that hasn’t exactly addressed the contract situation for the fifth-year receiver, who has been disgruntled this offseason without a new deal.
Lynch stated before the draft that the Niners have had positive talks with Aiyuk, but with nothing being signed to this point, it’s hard to know if that’s true or not. The longer the talks drag out, too, the more the market moves for the 49ers.
In recent weeks Philadelphia’s DeVonta Smith and Detroit’s Amon-Ra St. Brown signed massive extensions, and Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown inked a huge three-year, $96 million extension before the start of the draft, resetting the receiver market. So, the 49ers are in a tough spot, especially with quarterback Brock Purdy needing an extension in the near future.
“Now, how much will [Aiyuk] make next year? That’s really the big question. They have been in contract negotiations trying to get him to a long-term deal, trying to get to a point where he will accept their offer and the fact that the receiver market for the really, really good receivers has been more defined over the last month or so, helps,” Rapoport said. “You had DeVonta Smith with the Philadelphia Eagles about 25 [million] a year. You had Amon-Ra St. Brown, a little more than that, say about $28 million over the first three years.
“You figured that Brandon Aiyuk will be somewhere in there, but exactly where remains to be seen. But again, my understanding is the focus is on bringing him back next season. They view him as a key, key part of their offense.”
The 49ers have said all the right things this offseason regarding Aiyuk, that much is certain. They have stated publicly just how highly the franchise regards him and wants him around long-term. But they have to put their money where their mouth is, and to this point they haven’t done that.
So that leads to speculation that a trade could still happen this summer if a new deal isn’t reached.
Rapoport seems to have shot that down based on the information he has that the 49ers will have Aiyuk on the roster this season. That could — and largely should — cause a shift in the wide receiver trade market this summer with Aiyuk seemingly off the board, moving the attention to names like Courtland Sutton in Denver, DK Metcalf in Seattle, and Darius Slayton in New York, among others.
