The San Francisco 49ers added another log to the smoke signal fire last night by drafting WR Ricky Pearsall with the 31st-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. WR Brandon Aiyuk has been the subject of rampant trade rumors and speculation, and this certainly doesn’t cool it down. Teams have also reportedly phoned the 49ers about WR Deebo Samuel.
With another wide receiver in the mix, are they preparing to make a deal for one of them? The Pittsburgh Steelers are among the number of teams connected with the trade rumors. Curiously, they restructured OLB Alex Highsmith’s contract on the eve of the draft to open up cap space.
After selecting an offensive lineman in the first round, they are likely to target a wide receiver today. But perhaps they target that wide receiver via trade, instead. The 49ers reportedly wanted a first-round pick for Aiyuk, but with the first round gone, they have to shift expectations. Of course, a team can still deal a future first-round pick, but a package of other picks this year may suffice.
According to Mike Silver, it sounds as though the 49ers are now having more conversations about Samuel than Aiyuk, however. So are the Steelers interested in Samuel, and if so, at what price? Samuel is already 28 after five years in the league. He’s had one outstanding, All-Pro season, but Aiyuk appears to have emerged as the 49ers’ top wide receiver last year.
Samuel has two years remaining on his contract, including a $20,972,000 base salary for the 2024 season. His base salary figure for the 2025 season is $16,600,529, as well. Yet Aiyuk could be looking at extension numbers pushing about $30 million per season. Just before the opening of the first round, A.J. Brown signed a three-year, $96 million extension.
Dealing for Samuel could be somewhat simpler than for Aiyuk because he has two years left on a second contract. Aiyuk is looking to cash in on his rookie contract, so no deal gets done with any team that isn’t prepared to pony up on a fresh new deal. Also, Pearsall was Aiyuk’s former teammate at Arizona State, and he texted general manager John Lynch that Pearsall was a “fire pick,” for whatever that may be worth.
Ultimately, the 49ers taking Pearsall at the end of the first round immensely increases the odds of a trade. Whether or not the Steelers are likely to be the partner on that trade remains to be seen. We certainly can’t rule it out, however. They do have two selections in the third round, so they have more flexibility in terms of compensation.
