Throughout this offseason, there were various rumors about the San Francisco 49ers potentially trading away wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who is set to become a free agent after the 2024 season. While the team has explicitly said that they had no desire to trade him and the fact that Aiyuk had never requested a trade, it didn't stop the rumors from pouring in.
But with Aiyuk looking to get a new contract with the increase in price tag for a top wide receiver, Aiyuk officially requested a trade from the 49ers this month. Even with the request, the 49ers are still not expected to deal their top wide receiver. But did they miss the boat?
According to ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio, the 49ers allowed Aiyuk's representation to see if another team would pay what the receiver was looking for in a new contract before the NFL Draft. Florio says that five teams were willing to meet Aiyuk's demands, which "the magic number" was around $28 million per year.
Florio notes that three of the five teams were the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Washington Commanders.
Five teams were reportedly willing to meet Brandon Aiyuk's contract demands before 2024 NFL Draft
"Regardless, there were five teams, we’re told, who were ready to pay Aiyuk what he wanted before the draft. If they could also reach acceptable trade terms with the 49ers, he would have been traded," writes Florio.
"That part didn’t happen. It’s unclear what the 49ers wanted at the time. They rejected an offer of a second-round pick from the Patriots. Other interested teams were, and potentially still are, the Steelers and Commanders."
Florio says that the Patriots made an official trade offer to the 49ers for Aiyuk, but it was rejected. The Patriots were still in on Aiyuk, as NFL insider Josina Anderson noted that they contacted the 49ers weeks before the receiver officially requested a trade, but were turned down.
The Commanders and Aiyuk have been linked heavily throughout this offseason, especially after the NFL Draft. That has a lot to do with how Aiyuk's social media posts. Whether it's telling Commanders rookie quarterback and former Arizona State teammate Jayden Daniels that the 49ers didn't want him, or the wide receiver posting a photo of Commanders practice film.
Pittsburgh, meanwhile, has been linked to Aiyuk heavily throughout the offseason as well.
The price tag for wide receivers has gotten more expensive after Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings reset the market after signing a four-year, $140 million contract extension. With that, Jefferson is set to make a staggering $35 million per year.
According to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle, Aiyuk is reportedly seeking a contract where he'll earn around $30 million per year.
It will remain to be seen if either side will budge in this stand-off. From where things stand, the 49ers have no desire to trade away one of their top offensive players. We'll see if one of the five teams mentioned in Florio's report will be able to entice the 49ers to trade Aiyuk to them. But if the 49ers opt against trading Aiyuk and watch him walk in free agency, one has to wonder if they will regret not accepting a deal.
