It’s not just wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk who could be on the move via trade during the 2024 NFL Draft. It could be star receiver Deebo Samuel, too.
According to The Athletic’s NFL insider Dianna Russini, the San Francisco 49ers have had conversations with teams, including one inside the top 10, regarding Aiyuk and Samuel via trade to allow the 49ers to move up in the first round.
Aiyuk has been at the forefront of trade discussions this offseason. Entering the final year of his rookie contract that saw the 49ers pick up his fifth-year option last year, Aiyuk wants a new deal that would put him among the highest-paid NFL receivers. But the 49ers and the veteran receiver have yet to reach an agreement, creating some buzz that the 49ers could trade him.
Reports surfaced that Aiyuk requested a trade from the 49ers a few weeks ago, but his agent quickly shot that down via Twitter.
As for Samuel, he’s entering the second year of a three-year, $73.5 million contract extension with $58.1 million guaranteed that he signed in July 2022. Currently, Samuel carries a $28,633,765 cap hit.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been connected to Aiyuk via trade rumors and speculation in recent months, especially after they traded wide receiver Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers in mid-March and didn’t exactly address the position properly in free agency or via trade — yet.
Two weeks ago, Audacy NFL Insider Jason La Canfora reported that the Steelers were trying to “make something happen” via trade at the receiver position before or during the draft. Reports later surfaced that the Steelers had reached out to the 49ers regarding Aiyuk but nothing materialized.
49ers insider Mike Silver stated on the 93.7 The Fan PM Show Thursday that the Steelers are currently “not in play” for Aiyuk, but added that things could change quickly.
As for Samuel, though he signed a big-money extension, his injury history and age, along with his overall price tag, make him an interesting piece to move for the 49ers. Samuel is 28 years old and has missed six games the last two seasons. He was also injured in the playoffs last year when the 49ers made a run to the Super Bowl.
In his career he’s hauled in 283 passes for 4,122 yards and 19 touchdowns, adding 160 carries for 1,007 yards and 19 touchdowns as a dynamic dual-threat weapon for the Niners. But that workload has taken a toll on Samuel physically.
Shopping one of the two receivers to move up in the first round and potentially land a younger, cheaper receiver seems like smart thing to do for the 49ers, who sit at No. 31 overall in the first round after winning the NFC last season.
Things could get very interesting this evening the deeper we get into the first round of the NFL draft.
