There has been conjecture this offseason regarding the San Francisco 49ers’ potential trade of standout wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. The team already pays a lot of money to running back Christian McCaffrey, tight end George Kittle, fellow wide receiver Deebo Samuel, and left tackle Trent Williams.
Since the former first-round pick is eligible for a contract extension, there’s a chance the Niners will let Aiyuk go and sign a less expensive player in his place.
That replacement for Brandon Aiyuk may have come in the NFL Draft.
San Francisco’s selection of University of Florida wideout Ricky Pearsall — who began his college career at Arizona State, where he was a teammate of Aiyuk’s — was an interesting one.
However, according to 49ers general manager John Lynch, Aiyuk was excited about the pick.
General manager John Lynch told reporters that Aiyuk sent him and head coach Kyle Shanahan a message about the choice: “Fire pick, I can’t lie.”
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Brandon Aiyuk’s future in the Bay Area is cloudy as he is due to be a free agent in 2025. If the team does not want to pay him, this is the offseason to move the 26-year-old standout wideout.
Hours before the draft got underway, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported the Niners “have had conversations with teams” about dealing Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel with an eye toward trading up in the first round.
49ers May Have Found Replacement For Brandon Aiyuk
The Niners selected Florida’s Ricky Pearsall with the No. 31 overall pick and with that pick may be the last time Brandon Aiyuk has played a down for the team.
Following the draft, head coach Shanahan acknowledged that the team had trade discussions involving both Aiyuk and Samuel but noted that nothing ever came close to happening.
“It doesn’t seem that likely, to be honest,” Shanahan said, per ESPN. “But I’m still on the table. If someone offered [owner] Jed [York] and John [Lynch] good stuff for me, I’m going to be out of here.”
Aiyuk and Samuel are part of what is arguably the best group of skill-position players in the NFL, but because of salary cap reasons, not all good players can stay.
Ricky Pearsall’s arrival means one of them will be gone soon.
