After trading Deebo Samuel to Washington, the San Francisco 49ers are listening to trade offers for $120 million wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. According to the report, the 49ers are not guaranteeing they will move on from Aiyuk but with recent frustration, it shouldn’t be surprising if they wind up doing so. Last offseason, the team had a hard time figuring out whether or not they should extend Aiyuk or Samuel. Ultimately, Aiyuk received a massive extension from the 49ers but it hasn’t been paying off for the organization like they were hoping.
There are plenty of players and staff within the organization who are “not happy” with Aiyuk’s production last season. Aiyuk missed the second leg of the season where the 49ers offense played their worst in recent memory so a trade could still be on their mind if he doesn’t improve. However, the injuries could put a dent in his trade market value since teams don’t want to take on Aiyuk’s current contract. Instead, the 49ers could restructure Aiyuk’s deal and send him to a team he desires but that will be unlikely considering how San Francisco was generous before.
It seems like the team knew they would be in this situation again. In last year’s draft, they got Ricky Pearsall in the first round which made Samuel expendable despite Pearsall’s incident. The 49ers gave Jauan Jennings a contract extension before Aiyuk so the team has two receivers “on lock” either way. With that, Three teams could emerge as favorites for Aiyuk to afford his contract.
Breaking: 49ers “Listening” to Trade Offers for Brandon Aiyuk
Three Teams Emerging
Los Angeles Chargers
As of this posting, the Los Angeles Chargers don’t have several capable pass catchers to stretch the aerial attack. Second-year Ladd McConkey is the only reliable man who’s been succeeding with quarterback Justin Herbert. However, Quentin Johnston is depleting the past two seasons including his rookie year and that came with a heavy cost of why the Chargers lost against the Texans in the wild-card. Joshua Palmer is a free agent but many should expect the Chargers to sign a high-profile free-agent wide receiver to salvage the passing attack unit.
Perhaps, they could trade for Aiyuk since there’s already a strain in the relationship with the 49ers. Aiyuk is still a capable pass catcher as long as he can stay healthy. The Chargers have money to burn so they could easily afford a guy like Aiyuk to finally give Herbert some new life.
Baltimore Ravens
Meanwhile, the Baltimore Ravens find themselves in a different situation as they don’t have the financial liberty to trade or sign a top-notch target. However, they need a capable wideout to help at least in the backend of Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman. Nelson Agholor is a free agent but there’s no guarantee he’ll return considering he’s aging. The Ravens will probably draft a wide receiver but since Lamar Jackson is still in his prime, they could trade for a pass catcher like Aiyuk to give the team a boost.
Carolina Panthers
For the Panthers, quarterback Bryce Young finally has life in two reliable receivers this upcoming season. Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker are promising starters but considering this is probably Adam Thielen’s last season, they should find another capable veteran. Head Coach Dave Canales could pick up the phone and make an offer to give Young another pass catcher who’s nice with his hands and can make crucial deep ball plays.
The post Breaking: 49ers “Listening” to Trade Offers for Another Wideout appeared first on Last Word on Pro Football.