NFL Trade Rumors: San Francisco 49ers Wide Receiver Brandon Aiyuk Requests Trade

The San Francisco 49ers and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk have apparently reached a stalemate. According to ESPN's Mike Garafolo, the second-year All-Pro has officially requested a trade after recent meetings failed to move contract negotiations forward.

Source: #49ers All-Pro WR Brandon Aiyuk has officially requested a trade after an offseason of unsuccessful attempts to reach an extension.

Despite a recent meeting, the Niners haven’t been willing to engage in negotiations since May so Aiyuk has respectfully asked out. pic.twitter.com/EWxYMvsHch
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) July 16, 2024

Aiyuk has been the subject of trade rumors dating all the way back to before the 2024 NFL Draft. Drafted with the 25th overall pick in 2020, Aiyuk is entering the fifth-year option of his rookie contract and is set to earn $14.124 million for the 2024 season. Naturally, he's looking for a new deal and the first big-money contract of his young career.

He's earned it. Aiyuk was one of the league's most explosive and efficient pass catchers last season, totalling 1342 receiving yards and seven touchdowns at a preposterous 12.8 yards per target. He's no one-year wonder, either: 49ers quarterbacks have averaged a 119.8 passer rating on throws in his direction since 2020.

Still, negotiating a contract has clearly proven tricky for the 49ers. They already have massive deals in place for wide receiver Deebo Samuel ($23.85M per year), left tackle Trent Williams ($23.01M per year), running back Christian McCaffrey ($19M per year), and tight end George Kittle ($15M per year). Quarterback Brock Purdy will also be extension-eligible following the 2024 season.

Given recent surges in the wide receiver market, Aiyuk probably believes he's worth something in the neighborhood of $30 million per year. Justin Jefferson, A.J. Brown, and Amon-Ra St. Brown have all signed deals north of that this offseason. Aiyuk hasn't quite matched their resumes so far in his career, but he's only 26 years old, and his efficiency arguably exceeds those three superstars.

If the 49ers have truly ceased negotiations, trading Aiyuk may very well be in their best long-term interests. A big season from Aiyuk will only make him more expensive to retain next season, and a disappointing campaign will only diminish his trade value. If the 49ers want to maximize their returns via trade, they should execute a deal as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, the 49ers have already missed an opportunity to offset the loss of Aiyuk this offseason. The 2024 NFL Draft has come and gone, and any compensation they receive for Aiyuk will likely be limited to draft picks in 2025 and beyond. For a team with a wide-open Super Bowl window, parting ways with such a talented player could be very difficult to swallow. Inevitably, a 49ers team without Aiyuk would be a significantly less explosive offense.

In many respects, the 49ers have become victims of their own success here: they simply have too many good, home-grown players to pay them all. It's possible they're willing to force Aiyuk to play out the final year of his deal; they could still franchise tag him next offseason, at which point they could either re-open contract negotiations or swing a trade.

In any case, the 49ers will likely field many, many calls from rival teams inquiring about Aiyuk's availability. Any team lacking a first-class, downfield threat should be elated to have him, assuming they have cap space to spare. Getting him out of the conference to a team like the Buffalo Bills or Los Angeles Chargers would make perfect sense.