The Dallas Cowboys would certainly make waves if they made this blockbuster trade scenario come to fruition.
K.D. Drummond of Cowboys Wire proposed a one-for-one swap involving Cowboys star receiver CeeDee Lamb and San Francisco 49ers wideout Brandon Aiyuk. Both receivers face strikingly similar situations entering the 2024 season, with both 2020 draft picks threatening to hold out during training camp until they receive new deals. The only difference being is that Lamb has not demanded a trade, whereas Aiyuk has demanded one.
Drummond explains why the Cowboys would benefit from such a deal, citing the amount of money they would save on a potential Aiyuk deal compared to a Lamb one.
“On the Cowboys side of things, perhaps they are not interested in having a $35 million a year receiver during a transition period,” says Drummond of Lamb’s potential deal. “Not only would they save $25 million over the course of a five-year deal, Aiyuk also would require less guaranteed money, money teams have to put into escrow whenever they sign a contract for a player.”
Why Brandon Aiyuk Trade Could Benefit Cowboys
While both are considered star receivers, Lamb is considered the better, and is obviously the more productive of the two players. The three-time Pro Bowl receiver just led the league in receptions (136) and produced 1,749 receiving yards to go along with 12 touchdowns. It would be no surprise at all to see Lamb match, if not surpass Justin Jefferson’s recent record-setting deal with the Minnesota Vikings, which will see him earn an average annual value of $35 million.
On the other hand, Aiyuk is less productive and is projected market value is less than Lamb’s. Spotrac projects Aiyuk’s value to be $26.2 million across four years for a total of $104.6 million. While that new deal would make Aiyuk the seventh-highest paid receiver in the league, it is also substantially less than what Lamb is projected to earn.
Based on Spotrac’s market value, Lamb is projected to earn $34.0 million per year across four years for a total of over $136 million.
The different in contract values would save the Cowboys roughly $8 million per year, which would obviously help them in looming contract extensions that they need to get done with the likes of Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons.
Why Brandon Aiyuk/Cowboys Trade is Unlikely
While the idea of a potential trade makes sense for both sides considering the disgruntled nature of both Lamb and Aiyuk, Drummond mentions why this is an unlikely trade scenario.
“However there’s also the idea that each team would be watching the WR they’ve nurtured since rooks potentially helping a huge rival win a Lombardi trophy,” writes Drummond. “Aside from each side having to subscribe to the thought processes laid out in this exercise, that might be the biggest impediment to this whole fantasy scenario.”
The Cowboys would also being seeing a downgrade going from Lamb — an elite receiver — to Aiyuk, who is considered a very good receiver on a stacked offensive unit that also features George Kittle and Deebo Samuel.
If both of these teams weren’t considered rivals — the Cowboys have lost twice to the Niners in the playoffs in recent seasons — the proposed trade could be a reasonable one. But considering both teams are vying for NFC supremacy, don’t expect a trade swap of two top receivers.
