The San Francisco 49ers tried trade talks with regard to wideout Brandon Aiyuk. They did so a year ago. They did so again this offseason.
But the very reason they want to dump him is the same reason they can't.
And his massive contract has therefore made him virtually un-tradable. ...
And it just made him a whopping $76 million.
A year ago, Niners general manager John Lynch was closing in on a trade that would've sent Aiyuk to receiver-needy Pittsburgh. But at the last minute, all involved had a change of heart, with Aiyuk having called off a trade.
Aiyuk chose to stay in San Francisco. The deal to stay got done.
It included an assortment of paths to earning for Aiyuk, the former first-round pick who to be fair was an All-Pro as recently as 2023. One of those paths was a $22.85 million roster bonus that he was due on Tuesday.
The only way for Lynch and the 49ers to escape that deal? Trade Aiyuk. Somehow. Some way. For whatever return was possible.
But there were, of course, no takers.
And now? That $22.85 million bonus for this year is set. Oh, and a $24.95 million 2026 option bonus also became fully guaranteed.
Most problematic here - because Aiyuk is still just 27 years old and still perfectly capable when healthy - is that he still recovering from an ACL tear.
And a timeline for his return has not been set.
So a good player is hurt, and maybe unhappy. ... except for the news that his original "possible guaranteed'' total of $76 million is now set in stone.
