The San Francisco 49ers could end up trading WR Brandon Aiyuk, and one writer’s suggested destination would mean linking up with a promising quarterback. The 49ers got the better of the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs last year, but Aiyuk’s joining the Pack could level the playing field.
Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon wrote that the Packers make sense as a trade partner. While they’re rivaling the 49ers in the race for the next NFC title, Green Bay needs a No. 1 receiver and Aiyuk would fit the bill as that player.
“Elsewhere in the competitive NFC North, the Packers have a slew of intriguing young receivers but nobody who has proved himself to even remotely the same degree as Aiyuk,” Gagnon wrote in an August 14 story on seven teams Aiyuk “should reconsider.” “Unlike the [Detroit] Lions, the Packers can offer Aiyuk the obvious top role in the offense. And unlike the [Buffalo] Bills, they can offer him a decent amount of cash upfront due to a superior cap situation.”
The 49ers would be wary of trading Aiyuk to a team they could see in the postseason, but the Packers seem like a better option than Detroit, which already boasts a high-powered offense and a top receiver, Amon-Ra St. Brown. Aiyuk would put them at a truly elite level.
George Kittle Speaks on Potential Brandon Aiyuk Departure
While Aiyuk forcing the 49ers’ hand is not ideal for the organization, George Kittle says there are no bad vibes. Further, the veteran TE is a prominent presence in the San Francisco locker room and says the 49ers would not know what life was like without him until they start their regular season campaign.
“I love Aiyuk. I’ve played with him for four years. I love his mindset every single day. You guys asked [Charvarius Ward] Mooney, ‘Do you guys miss him?’ And I think Mooney answered it perfectly. We haven’t played a game without him yet. So as an offense, we don’t know; you interchange pieces all the time,” Kittle said. “We’ve had [49ers left tackle] Trent Williams hurt in a game and we still won. So it’s like, ‘Hey, you miss him, but you can make do with it.'”
It’s a difficult spot for Kittle. On the one hand, he said he understood that Aiyuk was a massive part of the 49ers’ offense last year. However, he also doesn’t want to say that San Francisco would be worse off without him.
49ers Recently Added New WR
As the future of Aiyuk is determined, the 49ers have added a new pass-catcher in wide receiver Chosen Anderson, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero on August 8.
The #49ers have made a wide receiver move: Veteran Chosen Anderson is signing with San Francisco, per his agents @davidcanter and @nessmugrabi. The receiver formerly known as Robbie/Robby Anderson had multiple offers and chose a team with an immediate need,” Pelissero wrote on X.
Anderson has had an eventful career, although the past few years have been less than ideal for the former Carolina Panther. After topping 750 yards in four straight seasons from 2017 to 2020, the receiver has totaled just 927 yards over the past three years.
