Brandon Aiyuk's name has been in and out of trade talks this offseason. Will the current 49er be shipped to a new team before the 2024 NFL Draft? He's apparently requested a trade, but he's apparently not done that. This team and that team are apparently interested. Heck, I have no idea what to make of this situation with the stud wide receiver.
The San Francisco 49ers enjoyed a career-year for Aiyuk where he caught 75 passes for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns. Now having 1,000 yards in two-straight seasons, the 49ers might be stuck here. The team picked up his fifth-year option, so he's under contract through 2024, but they don't seem to be willing to pay him what he wants, and their cap situation could be part of that.
With QB Brock Purdy needing a new deal next year and WR Deebo Samuel under a huge contract, he could be moved at some point. The 49ers could get a nice haul in return, but with how deep the 2024 NFL Draft is at wide receiver, it might not be a lock that they get what they want. Ideally, the 49ers likely don't want to be in this situation.
He's one of their best players, and anytime a team has to move on from a top player like this, it's never easy to do. A team like the Pittsburgh Steelers have seemingly be trying to trade for Aiyuk, as GM Omar Khan surely wants to make life easier for QB Russell Wilson. Pittsburgh has the 20th overall pick. Perhaps a clean swap of pick 20 for Aiyuk could be a deal.
It's just so hard to gauge what he'd fetch in a trade, especially with how deep this draft class is at wide receiver. If the 49ers are set on trading him, I believe the best-case scenario for them is to send him off before the draft, as if it's after, the return might not be nearly as much.