An intriguing trade proposal has the San Francisco 49ers dealing one of their top offensive playmakers to an AFC contender.
The 49ers have arguably football’s best set of weapons in wideouts Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, tight end George Kittle and do-it-all running back Christian McCaffrey. But down the road, the salary cap just might force GM John Lynch into trading one of his stars away.
At NFL Analysis Network, Kenneth Teape proposed a blockbuster trade where the 49ers would send Aiyuk to the WR-needy Baltimore Ravens:
“While the 49ers would love to keep him long-term, it may not be in the cards. San Francisco is already paying top-of-the-market money to multiple players on their roster, including fellow wide receiver Deebo Samuel. If they come to the reality that they cannot afford to sign Aiyuk to an extension as well, a trade makes sense for them to recoup as much value as possible in return.
What could a trade between the Ravens and the 49ers look like? Using recent history as an example to go off of, Baltimore can make an aggressive offer with two picks in the 2023 NFL Draft. The No. 22 and No. 86, a first and fourth-round pick, in exchange for Aiyuk. With a Jackson trade looming, which will bring back premium draft capital to the Ravens, it enables them to make an aggressive move for Aiyuk.”
Baltimore unquestionably needs help at wide receiver, but their first order of business is figuring out the Lamar Jackson situation. Last week, the 2019 league MVP revealed in a Twitter threat that he requested a trade from the organization.
For the Ravens, it doesn’t make sense to sacrifice significant draft capital for anyone until they know what’s happening with Jackson. The franchise tag was placed on the 26-year-old last month, thus preventing him from entering free agency.
If Baltimore finds a way to bring back Jackson for at least another year? Aiyuk would definitely be a welcoming addition to that offense. After Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews, Demarcus Robinson was the team’s leading receiver with 458 yards.
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The speedy Aiyuk is coming off a career year in which he recorded 78 receptions for 1,015 yards and eight touchdowns. For his career, the Arizona State product has 194 receptions, 2,589 yards and 18 touchdowns.
There’s no indication that the 49ers are looking to deal Aiyuk. But without a doubt, a player of his caliber would be quite the difference-maker for the Ravens.
