The San Francisco 49ers can't seem to catch a break this season. Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk tore his ACL & MCL during Sunday's 28-18 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The 3-4 49ers are treading water in a crowded NFC West, just one game behind the 4-3 Seattle Seahawks. But San Francisco is just 1-2 against their division, and the schedule doesn't get any more forgiving with upcoming contests against Dallas, Tampa Bay, Seattle, Green Bay, Buffalo and Chicago. With Deebo Samuel hospitalized with pneumonia and Jauan Jennings questionable with a hip injury, the 49ers must act fast to shore up their receiving corps.
It's been a team effort this year. Samuel, Aiyuk, Jennings and George Kittle all have at least 20 receptions. No other player has more than 10 receptions, and should Samuel and Jennings not be available next week, the 49ers' starting top wide receivers would likely be Chris Conley, Jacob Cowing, Ronnie Bell and Ricky Pearsall.
With so little experience available on the depth chart, it only makes sense for the 49ers to tap into the wide receiver market. Let's break down some possible moves the 49ers might consider to revitalize their offense.
49ers trade 2025 sixth-round pick for Titans WR DeAndre Hopkins
While a sixth-round pick may not seem like much to entice the Titans, it has more to do with what's left on Hopkins' contract. He is in the final season of a two-year, $26 million contract. With the quarterback position dealing with unreliable play from Will Levis, it'd be in Hopkins' best interest to move on. While his decision to play with the Titans calls into question whether winning even matters to him, playing with the 49ers would give him a chance to return to the postseason for the first time since 2019.
DHop has a 67.9 PFF grade this year and an 81.0 grade last season. He can still be among the league's best receivers if given the opportunity. He caught 75 receptions for 1,057 yards and seven scores last year in Tennessee. His 2024 season has been relatively quiet so far, with just 15 catches for 175 yards and a touchdown. But joining Brock Purdy and the rest of the 49ers' offense presents a golden opportunity to turn the page on this chapter of his career.
If not Hopkins, the Titans also have Tyler Boyd available on an expiring contract. Calvin Ridley would likely carry too high a cost as he is in the first season of a four-year contract with Tennessee.
49ers trade 2025 fifth-round pick for Bengals WR Tee Higgins
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It would require more coordination, but a trade for Higgins would hit two birds with one stone. Firstly, the 49ers need to figure out their cap situation for next season, as Brock Purdy could hold out for a contract extension. His rookie deal expires at the end of the 2025 season. To get ahead of that, the 49ers also have many key players like Samuel, Kittle, Maliek Collins, Leonard Floyd, Jauan Jennings, Kyle Juszczyk and more on expiring contracts after this season.
Would Higgins command the same price tag as Samuel? Probably not, and these sorts of savings are what the 49ers will need to find to trim the edges of their roster despite all their cap space. With Dak Prescott setting the top of the quarterback market at $60 million per season, a similar price tag will likely be necessary to secure Purdy long-term.
All that in mind, if the 49ers trade a draft pick in exchange for Higgins and hopefully work out a contract extension to pay him in the $30M AAV range, they would secure a future top receiver and find a suitable replacement for Samuel should he decide to move on. Getting ahead of the wide receiver market before the offseason would save the 49ers some precious dollars.
However, this assumes the Bengals would even want to trade Higgins. Their season is far from over at 3-4. With so many moving parts and Samuel's particular skill set, it's possible the 49ers don't view Higgins as a proper fit in their offense. But it's a fun thought experiment nonetheless.
