It's a big, bold prediction ... with some big, gaping holes.
Should the San Francisco 49ers trade star receiver Brandon Aiyuk to Buffalo?
PFN makes the presentation from the Buffalo Bills perspective, which we get.
The Bills last season were one of the best in football on offense, averaging 30.9 per game. But they did accomplish that without a bonafide No. 1 receiver.
Khalil Shakir certainly stepped up, with 821 yards and four touchdowns. Rookie Keon Coleman has a future not yet realized. And the Amari Cooper trade?
That really didn't work out at all.
So Pro Football Network says the Bills should come and get Aiyuk.
"The Buffalo Bills are clearly close to breaking through for an organization that has yet to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, and it’s not every day that a game-breaking receiver entering his prime is available as Brandon Aiyuk appears to be," PFN writes. "As it stands right now, the Bills’ WR room isn’t capable of stretching the field at a high level.
"Not a surprise, given the talent they let walk ahead of this past season. Buffalo has been eliminated in consecutive seasons by the Chiefs, and Allen was 3 of 17 on deep passes in those contests. There aren’t many nits to pick, but this is one of them, and it has a pretty direct fix should San Francisco commit to moving on.”
The details there are solid. But ...
What's in it for the Niners?
Aiyuk is coming off an ACL and MCL injury, and we're not sure he is ready to start in Week 1. What does that do to his trade value?
Oh, and speaking of which ... PFN forgets to tell us what the Niners are getting if they trade him. ... making it really hard to judge the validity of the urged swap.
And then there the money. The 49ers and Aiyuk agreed to a new four-year deal last season and the receiver has a dead cap hit of $39.2 million in 2025.
Where is that deficit going?
Should Buffalo fish around for help? Fine.
Should the 49ers shop Aiyuk without knowing what he truly is in 2025? Not fine.
