The latest roster move could spell the end of 49ers star receiver, Brandon Aiyuk this offseason. It seems imminent that the 49ers could trade Aiyuk after Jauan Jennings’s extension that keeps him through the 2025 season. San Francisco is still confident that they can finish a deal to keep him around for the long haul, but time is ticking. Aiyuk has been in the spotlight of trade, negotiations and contract discussions all offseason so it’s a matter of when the 49ers will finish.
He hasn’t been participating in OTA’s this year alongside Deebo Samuel as general manager John Lynch is working on an extension instead of a trade. It wasn’t long until Aiyuk took to social media to suggest that “money talks” on his Instagram story. He doesn’t need to be the highest-paid receiver in the league after Amon-Ra St. Brown set a new benchmark. However, as of this posting, Miami Dolphin Jaylen Waddle agreed to a new three-year extension making him the fourth-highest-paid wideout.
He follows behind his teammates Tyreek Hill, Brown and A.J. Brown in terms of annual value. With receivers getting new deals over the last few months, the market is steadily rising moving forward. CeeDee Lamb and Justin Jefferson are top star receivers who are still waiting on a new long-term extension. Don’t forget about Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins that may go down to deciding which receiver they will keep or trade.
This is the same scenario for Aiyuk and Samuel, but there haven’t been any talks of an extension for Samuel. Aiyuk is looking for a contract that exceeds Samuel’s deal so could they restructure his contract? They could do that but they made just trade him all around. It won’t be long that the group will stay together.
49ers Could Trade Brandon Aiyuk After Jauan Jennings’s Extension
It Could Happen Imminently
The fact that they were able to extend Jennings’s contract instead of Aiyuk could spell the end for him. Samuel already has the biggest deal among the two receivers which is what Aiyuk is looking for. It’s difficult now to justify that their two top stars will be together this upcoming year. However, it doesn’t mean it will happen yet but Aiyuk could always stir the conversation by holding out next month.
This is because the 49ers did not touch Samuel’s contract this offseason to create any additional cap space. San Francisco already made the difficult decision to move on from defensive star, Arik Armstead. Even though Jennings has established himself as one of the promising receivers on the roster, it still raises questions. It’s still interesting that the team picked wide receiver Ricky Pearsall with the No. 31 pick of this year’s draft.
His selection originally made everyone believe they were shopping Aiyuk. However, they weren’t making moves to trade him or Samuel. It seems like Aiyuk has every right now to hold out from the team further this offseason right before week one. Here are some potential trade fits for Aiyuk.
Potential Trade Fits for Aiyuk
The Ravens would become the second-best AFC team next to the Kansas City Chiefs if they make this shocking move. Rashod Bateman’s extension doesn’t mean anything for the team considering he was a lackluster last season. However, they still have Zay Flowers but they haven’t made a replacement for Odell Beckham Jr. who’s in Miami. The Saints don’t have a top-name receiver that could help Derek Carr other than Chris Olave.
If Dennis Allen wants success for this roster after last year’s disappointment then Aiyuk’s addition would make them playoff-caliber. However, the Chargers need some type of offense star power for Justin Herbert since the losses of Mike Williams and Keenan Allen. They’ve been getting about just any receiver out there but no proven starter. Aiyuk would become the No. 1 target which should get Jim Harbaugh in good shape for his debut.
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