Though San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk’s future seems up in the air, looking for a long-term deal, he has not requested a trade. Aiyuk’s agent, Ryan Williams, shot down a Sunday morning report that indicated Aiyuk had asked for a deal out of San Francisco.
“You need better sources,” Williams tweeted at the original and evidently erroneous report.
Trade talks have swirled around Aiyuk throughout the offseason. On his fifth-year option and a free agent after the 2024 season, Aiyuk is searching for a contract that will make him among the highest-paid receivers in football, likely surpassing $20 million per season. Ostensibly, he’s looking to get paid more than teammate Deebo Samuel ahead of the 2024 season and surpass the four-year, $92 million deal Tennessee Titans WR Calvin Ridley signed in free agency.
Aiyuk has stirred the trade rumor pot throughout the offseason, taking time to tweet at Mike Tomlin and, most recently, unfollowing the 49ers’ on Instagram. That’s become the typical hallmark of a player looking to get some attention about his unhappiness, replacing the old model of holding out of camp (though Aiyuk could skip voluntary spring practices and potentially hold-in during training camp). Aiyuk’s approach is similar to the one Samuel took in 2022, ramping up trade rumors before ultimately inking a long-term deal with San Francisco.
Throughout the offseason, the 49ers’ posture has been to downplay any idea of trading Aiyuk, with GM John Lynch expressing optimism that a long-term deal would get done.
Pittsburgh’s been rumored to be in the mix for Aiyuk or at the least, make a splashy trade for a wide receiver. If a deal goes go down, it would most likely occur before the 2024 NFL Draft on April 25, allowing the 49ers to replace Aiyuk with a receiver from a great class of names. But if Brandon Aiyuk makes a big enough stink even post-draft, there’s a chance the 49ers could part ways. They have enough talent at the skill positions, including WR Jajuan Jennings, to take the hit of losing Aiyuk.
